The first lohner-Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche,
Automotive pioneer.
Automotive pioneer.
Ferdinand Porsche was born on September 3, 1875, in the North Bohemian district of Maffersdorf, now known as Vratislavice. As the third child of master tinsmith Anton Porsche and wife Anna, tradition dictated that Ferdinand Porsche was to follow in the footsteps of his father to become a craftsman. However, his true interest was in the field of electricity. In 1893, he went to Vienna to start work as an apprentice at electrical engineering firm “Béla Egger & Co.” (known from 1896 onwards as “Vereinigte Elektrizitäts-AG”). 18-year-old Ferdinand Porsche quickly made a name for himself in the testing department due to his extraordinary talents and strong work ethic.
He expanded his theoretical knowledge by observing lectures at the technical University, and then immediately put this knowledge into practice. Ferdinand Porsche quickly carved out a career for himself through his ambition and determination to succeed. In just four years, he rose up the ranks to become head of the “Testing department” and the first assistant in the calculations office. It was in this position that Ferdinand Porsche came into contact with Viennese carriage manufacturer Ludwig Lohner, who dreamt of having his own electric vehicle. |
The owner of “K.K. Hofwagenfabrik Jacob Lohner & Comp.” had a wide range of interests, and in the face of declining sales of his luxurious carriages had come to the logical conclusion that the age of the horse and carriage was coming to an end. During his travels in Europe and America, Lohner had developed a talent for predicting the social changes of his time, and wanted to combat these changes in an innovative way through new business fields. He came to the decision that he needed to start manufacturing petrol and electric vehicles. Lohner expected electric vehicles in particular to sell well, as the minimal disruption from noise and exhaust fumes would mean a higher level of acceptance from the general public.
The electrical equipment for the vehicles was ordered from “Vereinigten Elektrizitäts-AG”, while the chassis and body were manufactured by Lohner's own company in Porzellangasse in Vienna and at the production site in Floridsdorf respectively. The “Egger-Lohner C.2 electric vehicle” The first Lohner electric vehicle developed with the help of Ferdinand Porsche was presented in 1898 at an exhibition for the newly founded “Austrian Automobile Club”. With an electric motor installed transversely between the front wheels and steered rear wheels, this electric vehicle was still far from being ready for series production. |
The vehicle concept was discarded and other test vehicles were built - this time in line with the ideas developed by young Ferdinand Porsche, who favoured front wheel stub axle steering and the electric motor at the rear of a Lohner carriage. The result of Ferdinand Porsche's vision, the “Egger-Lohner C.2 electric vehicle”, rolled onto the streets of Vienna for the first time on June 26, 1898, and Ferdinand Porsche made sure that he would take credit for the vehicle's design in a most unusual manner: He engraved the code “P1” (P for Porsche, number 1) onto all of the key components, thus giving the vehicle its unofficial name.
To enable this set-up, Ferdinand Porsche coupled the commutators of the electric motor both consecutively and in parallel. In addition, the electrical resistance in the electrical circuit could be changed and individual accumulator cells could be connected and disconnected. Thanks to the 500-kg “Tudor” batteries, the overall range of the vehicle could reach up to 80 kilometres, or 3-6 operating hours. The 1350-kg vehicle was braked using two different brake systems: Alongside a mechanical band brake, the driver could activate an electrical brake by pressing the steering wheel rim to interrupt the current flow. Another innovation was the Lohner alternating vehicle body with a closed Coupé-style design and an open Phaeton design, which allowed the vehicle to be used both in summer and winter. |
The first Porsche race victory.
Its first practical test awaited the “P1” in September 1899 at the international motor vehicle exhibition in the German capital of Berlin. At the time, the competition to produce the best drive systems was fierce, and the 120 exhibitors included no less than 19 electric vehicle manufacturers competing against a considerably higher number of petrol vehicles. To demonstrate to the public the performance and efficiency of the electric vehicles, a race for electric vehicles with a prize for the winner was announced for September 28. The race covered a distance of 40 kilometres, taking the drivers from Berlin to Zehlendorf and back. The route demanded a great amount of skill from the participants, who had to tackle challenges such as gradients, an 8.6-km high-speed section and a 7.8-km efficiency test. This first automotive race marked a great victory for Ferdinand Porsche, who took the gold medal with his “P1”. With three passengers on board, Porsche steered his electric vehicle across the finish line 18 minutes ahead of the next competitor. More than half the participants failed to reach the finish line due to technical difficulties, while others were not assessed because they had failed to meet the specified minimum speed. Ferdinand Porsche also came out on top in the efficiency test, as his “P1” recorded the lowest energy consumption in urban traffic. |
Source: Porsche