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Ferdinand Porsche’s first invention ⚡️ On April 14, 1900, a revolutionary electric car, based on the Lohner-Porsche system, made its debut at the Paris Exposition’s Palace of Electricity. This marked the beginning of the Porsche legacy and brought global recognition to a 24-year-old Ferdinand Porsche. Working for Jacob Lohner & Co. in Vienna, Porsche designed and developed an electric vehicle in just ten weeks, featuring wheel-hub motors integrated into the front wheels. Each motor delivered 2.5 hp, allowing the car to reach a top speed of 32 km/h. Notably, the Lohner-Porsche was one of the first vehicles to feature simultaneous braking on all four wheels, a true milestone in automotive engineering for 1900. This innovation not only demonstrated Porsche's technical brilliance, but also his ability to creatively optimise existing solutions and push boundaries in the automotive industry. A testament to Porsche’s early vision of efficiency and performance, this project laid the foundation for the future of automotive design. #porsche #electriccar #electricvehicle #ev #innovation #netzero #sustainability
Genius indeed but the problem was not how to propel a vehicle with a e-motor but rather how to get sufficient energy storage… nothing much has changed.
It was a big period of invention then Jordan, with EVs having been invented in the 1830s and going on to outsell gas cars by 10:1 in the 1890s. But whilst the first ICE car was invented in 1885 by Karl Benz (of Mercedes Benz fame), Porsche chose to refine the EV route with what you show here, in just 10 weeks with 4 wheel hub motors, I believe a first of its kind in the day.
Tim Meyer
1mo
So cool! Unfortunately making hub motors with power to propel over 32km/h is hard! Lordstown Motors is a cautionary tale.
Dan Phillips
1mo
There was a mid Atlantic tech school working on switched reluctance motors about 10 years ago, with a carry-on suitcase-sized battery that i begged to share design criteria for their brake disc-integrated solution, so i could go design and build for my car, but they weren't interested. It was just a booster for under 30 mph, so you'd tap into the accelerator for easy control integration, but seemed would basically motivate the car under 25 mph, so great for inner city and to reduce fuel consumption when beginning to move.
David Davis
1mo
If you were designing a car from scratch an in wheel motor design would be a very intelligent place to start with so few moving parts. Pity battery technology was poor at the time and opened the door for the internal combustion engine with all its complexity and inefficiency not to mention the fuel source and everything that comes with oil.
Phil Tucker
1mo
It would be very interesting to see where we would be today with EVs had the technology not been quashed early on. I imagine battery technology would also have advanced farther if they automotive industry had continued with electric.
Jordan Ramer
1mo
Designing a groundbreaking electric vehicle in just ten weeks is the kind of achievement most engineers would dream about their entire careers.
Matt McDermott
1mo
So it took us about 110 years to recognize its a better way for cars, and maybe 75 for forklifts.
Technology Trend Researcher | Author
1moAlmost 8 years ago, I took this picture at the Technical Museum in Vienna, where they have one of the Lohner-Porsche on exhibit with exactly those wheel-hub motors: Internal-pole motors in the front wheels, 2.5 hp (2 kW), speed: approx. 32 km/h Jacob Lohner & Co., Vienna, 1900-1902