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First all-electric Porsche will use Le Mans 919 Hybrid tech

Porsche has been testing and teasing all-electric vehicles for years, like the trio of experimental Boxsters in 2010 and a Pajun EV in 2015. Then came the Mission E, a gorgeous electric concept unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show late last year. Unlike previous test programs, this one was intended for the real world. Porsche is getting ready to ramp up its EV development, and has stated that its first all-electric vehicle, based on the Mission E, will arrive by 2020. For now, the future production version of the Mission E looks a lot like the Le Mans Prototype Porsche 919 Hybrid. Well, under the hood, anyway. Parts of the 800-volt powertrain in the Mission E are being used in the Le Mans prototype because, "The 919 served as the trial vehicle for the voltage level of future hybrid systems," Porsche says. During testing with the race car, Porsche says it is learning a lot about EV tech, including keeping the battery and electric motor cool and "extreme high-voltage" connectors. This news is not as exciting as a flashy new concept, but this is just the sort of thing that automakers need to do in the big transition from fossil fuels to electric drive. Related Video: Hybrid technology in the LMP1 Porsche 919 Hybrid Atlanta, Georgia. This weekend, the Le Mans Prototype Porsche 919 Hybrid has its only 2016 appearance in Germany. At the six-hour race to be held on the Grand Prix circuit of the Nurburgring, the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the series' leader fights to defend its title. At the same time its mission is to revolutionize the technology of future sports cars. With the 919 Hybrid, Porsche has developed a new field of technology at racing speed. For the "Mission E", a fully electric road-going concept sports car unveiled in 2015, the designers adopted the 800-Volt technology from the prototype racer. Porsche has exhausted all possibilities in designing the two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner – especially in terms of the drive concept. It consists of a two-liter, V4 turbocharged gasoline engine – the most efficient combustion motor that Porsche has built up to now– and two different energy recovery systems. During braking, a generator at the front-axle converts the car's kinetic energy into electrical energy. In the split exhaust system, one turbine drives the turbocharger while another converts surplus energy into electrical energy.

Juan Pablo Montoya tests Porsche 919 Hybrid in Bahrain

Sealing the FIA World Endurance Championship wasn't the only thing that Porsche did this past weekend in Bahrain. Alongside its rivals from Audi and Toyota, the German outfit also participated in a test session for potential new drivers, including Juan Pablo Montoya. Driving the Le Mans- and championship-winning Porsche 919 Hybrid at the Bahrain International Circuit this weekend, Montoya set the fastest time of the day. His "qualifying" lap was clocked at 1:40.86, barely more than a second behind the 1:39.67 lap that earned Timo Bernhard pole position in the previous day's race – and a second faster than the fastest lap set in the race by Neel Jani in another 919 Hybrid. That's a mighty impressive feat for a driver relatively unaccustomed to driving a modern hybrid LMP1. Racing fans will know Montoya as a multi-talented driver. The Colombian has competed successfully in Formula One, Indy, NASCAR, and sports prototypes, winning races in all disciplines. Aside from the International Formula 3000 title, three outright victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona, and a handful of NASCAR street-course races, Montoya can count among his many achievements the CART title, two Indianapolis 500 wins, and the checkered flag at the Monaco Grand Prix (along with six other F1 races). Those victories have brought JP among the closest to winning the Triple Crown of motorsports of any driver in racing history, and he's still competing. For those unfamiliar, the Triple Crown is an unofficial measure to gauge the diverse talents of professional racing drivers in three disciplines: Indy, F1, and Le Mans. To win, a driver has to win the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and either the Monaco Grand Prix or the Formula One World Championship. Graham Hill is the only driver in history to have swept all the categories, but others have come close. The list of near-winners includes Tazio Nuvolari, Mike Hawthrown, Phil Hill, AJ Foyt, Bruce McLaren, Jim Clark, Mario Andretti, and Emerson Fittipaldi. The only contenders still active are Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve, who won at Indy in '95, the F1 championship in '97, and came second at Le Mans in 2008. Villenueve could still steal the crown if he gets another shot at Le Mans, but the more likely scenario would be to see Montoya rise to the throne. Especially if this test session is any indication. Also driving the Porsche was in the rookie test session was Mitch Evans, a former GP3 champion and GP2 race winner from New Zealand.

Here are this year's top 5 automaker April Fools’ jokes

April 1 is the wonderful day when PR departments really push themselves to top the zany jokes they came up with the previous year. And it's not just fast-food chains competing with each other, or breweries announcing they have released stuff like a fermented herring flavored beer: carmakers' media teams rarely miss out on the opportunity to play a little joke on their audience. Here are a few of our favorites from this year:1) Porsche Porsche announced that it's launching a Mission E tractor, styled to resemble its 1950s tractor models. "With a power output in excess of 700hp, the Mission E Tractor will be the fastest accelerating agricultural vehicle in the world, enabling farmers to harvest crops in record time with the added environmental benefits of zero emissions at source and significantly reduced operating noise."2) Lexus Lexus actually jumped the gun, telling us on March 28 that it's combining cars and drivers using DNA matching. The kicker was that with DNA-matched cars, owners would be able to start their Lexuses by licking the steering wheel.3) McLaren Automotive McLaren said it's boosting efficiency by quite eccentric measures, such as measuring the technology center's lake and floor tiles daily, and by synchronizing the staff's tea breaks.4) BMW Motorrad BMW's motorcycle arm is solving parts availability issues in remote locations by offering a 3D printer mounted permanently on the bike's rack: If you need to replace a broken-off gear lever, you can just print one. "The new system will mean that even very rarely required parts not generally stocked by BMW Motorrad sales partners can be supplied on a just-in-time basis." BMW even went to the lengths of announcing that the "BMW Motorrad iPart 3D Mobile Printer" was tested on the Antarctic, by erecting a tent whose poles were produced onsite.5) Honda Last but not least, Honda UK purportedly cut the roof off a new CR-V, calling it the CR-V Roadster. Tellingly, no convertible top was even offered for the concept, "making it a no-top rather than a drop-top. This innovative design makes it a vehicle purely for sunnier climates and therefore completely useless for the two-day British summer which traditionally occurs in May."Related Video: Featured Gallery Top 5 April Fools 2018 Image Credit: Porsche Green Humor Weird Car News BMW Honda Lexus McLaren Porsche bmw motorrad mclaren automotive