Stormster banishes enviro-bandit SUV notions
Germany's Ruf conjures up a Cayenne-based SUV that doesn't use so much as a drop of juiceRenowned Porsche tweaker Ruf last year showed its 'green' intentions via the eRuf (an electric-powered 911) and it followed up this year at the Geneva motor show by revealing the Greenster.
Now the Bavarian-based tuning/customising house has taken the theme further by unveiling what it claims to be the first SUV with an electric powertrain.
Dubbed the 'Stormster', the Cayenne-based wagon is propelled by a Siemens electric motor with 270kW and 940Nm -- as per the Greenster.
It tips the scales at a relatively portly 2670kg (versus 2300kg for a standard Cayenne S), and the claimed 0-100km/h split of 10sec isn't exactly electrifying, but the vehicle still has its merits.
Ruf claims the Stormster can hit 150km/h, while touring range on a single charge is said to be 200km.
The vehicle's lithium-ion accumulators are supplied by Li-Tec Battery, and the official Ruf blurb touts the German concern as the first European manufacturer of lithium-ion cells designed for the automobile industry using ceramic storage technology.
Hankook developed the winter tyres (295/30 R22) for the all-paw Stormster, and said rubber is wrapped around Ruf classic five-spoke rims.
Given its enviro-friendly credentials, the Stormster fittingly made its public debut at the European Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
No word as yet as to whether Ruf is planning to build and sell a limited run of the Stormster.
The company has said at the Geneva motor show that it would switch to a twin-motor set-up for Greenster, with the intention of embarking on a small series production run in 2010.
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