SPYDER PLAN

adically altered weather patterns have seen climate change rise to the top of political and social agendas in recent years, and yet, the widespread adoption of electromobility has been markedly slow. It’s only in the past decade that truly usable electrified cars have appeared, and it’s no surprise they were far from the kind of vehicles likely to appeal to fans of Stuttgart’s finest sports machines. That said, Porsche’s association with automotive electrification goes back longer than most. As outlined in the November 2019 issue of (order a copy at ), Ferdinand Porsche designed the Egger-Lohner C2 Phaeton in 1898. The vehicle was powered by an octagonal electric motor. Producing between three and five horsepower, the C2 reached a top speed of 15.5mph. A year later, Porsche joined the carriage maker, k.u.k. Hofwagenfabrik Ludwig Lohner & Co., where he developed the electric wheel hub motor. In 1900, the first Lohner-Porsche Electromobile featuring this innovation was presented at the Paris Expo. With twin 2.5hp electric motors, the ground-breaking new vehicle reached a top speed of 22mph and created a media storm across Europe. Company founder, Jacob Lohner, had good reason for asking Porsche to develop an electric powertrain — his reasoning for dismissing the idea of a combustion engine for coaches sounds as topical today as it did then: “air is ruthlessly