The first Porsche electric car

'P1' simply stood for 'Porsche 1' officially 'Egger-Lohner C2'. It seems to be quite sure that it is really the first. Of course, he did not arise under the name Porsche, but as Egger-Lohner. Egger for the Vereinigten Elektrizitätswerke, for the Porsche worked, Lohner for his future employer.

No, the young Porsche designed currently no sports car. He was actually head of the engine test bench at Egger, although he also had not learned this in an apprenticeship. Porsche came to the reciprocating engine, as he used it for the electricity generation because of the limited range of the batteries.

However, this took place a little later, yet he built such vehicles, here you see one from 1899. Since about 1882, there is the 'First Austrian factory for electric lighting and power transmission B.Egger & Co'. In 1896 it is renamed in 'Vereinigte Elektrizitäts AG vorm. B.Egger & Co'. It later became the Austrian branch of the today better-known Swiss Brown, Boveri & Cie.

Here the 'K.u.k Hof-Wagenfabrik Jacob Lohner' requested professional help to be able to offer not only thousands of luxury carriages, but also horseless vehicles. Shortly before and after the turn of the century was the zenith of the electric drive for vehicles, which seemed superior to the reciprocating engine because of the longer development time. Porsche realized the projects and then also changed to Lohner.

But at Lohner are also in planning with petrol operated carriages. Clearly after 1900, the favoured petrol vehicles were then built at Lohner, but since (1906) Porsche had already changed to Austro-Daimler, a typical car manufacturer. Later Lohner produced motorcycles, trucks and buses, as well as trams and airplanes and is now part of the Canadian Bombardier group.

In both vehicles shown, the batteries 44 cells (120 Ah) could be charged in about four hours for a range of 80 km. Thus, the 1350 kg or 1450 kg heavy vehicles reached at 2.2 kW (3 HP) 25 km/h, but the engine power could slightly be increased for a short time. Gears were simulated by gradually triggering the electric motor, and the reverse gear also. It was braked conventionally or via the E-motor, but conveyed back any energy.

This both models had yet no wheel hub motors, thereto you would have to click here. The electric motor was directly connected to the axle drive, which in turn passed on the torque by gears to the rear wheels. Ferdinand Porsche came with the P1 at a race in Berlin after 40 km far ahead of the others to the finish. He also won the Gold Medal at the Car Show in Berlin 1899.

The P1 has been put aside probably soon after his successes. He was detected recently by the grandson Dr. Wolfgang Porsche and now serves unrestored and only together with a new structure of Plexiglas as the new anchor of the Porsche Museum, suitable to its five years of existence. 01/14

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