eRuf Stormster

eRuf Stormster

greenster 3

greenster 3

With the exception of the Tesla Roadster, most electric cars seem to be cute, cuddly little hatchbacks. But the eRuf Stormster from Siemens is decidedly not. Based on the Porsche Cayenne, it's green, but it's still pretty imposing as well.

The UN World Climate Change Conference is now underway in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Siemens is taking the opportunity to show the world's leaders on climate where the current state of the industry lies on practical electric vehicles. With enough room for either people or cargo and some style, too, the Cayenne-based Stormster offers a slice of what may be an everyday reality in the near future.

Built by Ruf on the Porsche Cayenne chassis, the 367-horsepower eRuf Stormster is a pure electric SUV capable of 9 seconds to 62 mph and a range of about 111.8 miles on a single charge. Top speed is about 93 mph. With such a short range, it's clear that charging the eRuf Stormster will be a primary concern.

Accordingly, Siemens has designed what it calls the eCar-Station, a charging facility that can meter electricity out in either of two different denominations, complete with an "eCarD" reader that keeps the voltage from flowing without proper authorization.

There's no clear plan for production or retail availability yet, but the technology inside the Stormster is all presently available. Lithium ion batteries with ceramic storage technology from Li-Tec are the core of the vehicle's power, and are currently being produced in Europe.

The Stormster is itself an evolution of the Porsche 911 Targa-based Greenster, a sports car EV with similar power output, but a much higher top speed and acceleration, with shorter overall range.

[Siemens, Ruf]