Nearly 125 years ago, Ferdinand Porsche made history by developing the groundbreaking Lohner-Porsche, the world’s first electric vehicle powered by wheel-hub motors.
Debuting on April 14, 1900, at the Paris Exposition, the innovative drive system integrated electric motors directly into the front wheels, eliminating the need for an intermediate transmission. The design received global acclaim, with Berliner Zeitung hailing it as an “epochal innovation.”
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At just 24, Porsche created the Lohner-Porsche in a mere ten weeks, showcasing his technical talent and visionary creativity. The vehicle achieved a top speed of 32 km/h and featured synchronized braking on all four wheels—cutting-edge technology for its time.
Expanding on this success, Porsche developed a modular system for electric drives, offering up to 12 PS per wheel for passenger cars, buses, and trucks, with a range of around 50 kilometers.
In the same year, Porsche built the world’s first electric race car with four wheel-hub motors, delivering 14 PS each. Named “La Toujours Contente” (The Always Happy), it also marked the advent of all-wheel drive.
By 1901, Porsche had created the world’s first functional hybrid vehicle, the Lohner-Porsche Semper Vivus, combining a gas engine and electric generator to address the limitations of early batteries and charging infrastructure.
Though wheel-hub motors were eventually sidelined in mass production, their influence endured. Over 300 vehicles based on the Lohner-Porsche system were built, serving roles from fire engines to taxis.
Decades later, Porsche’s vision soared to new heights when NASA’s lunar rovers, used during Apollo missions 15, 16, and 17, were equipped with electric wheel-hub motors inspired by his pioneering work.
Ferdinand Porsche’s 1900 innovation not only transformed automotive engineering but also laid the foundation for hybrid technology and electrified exploration—proving, as his contemporaries predicted, that his influence would resonate far into the future.
Source: Revolutionary Innovation: The Electric Wheel-Hub Motor from 1900
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