Porsche engineers studied the possibilities of a hydrogen-powered eight-cylinder. And they seem rather satisfied with the first results.

Porsche is not resistant to electric, but it is a defender of the combustion engine. For them, he particularly believes in synthetic fuels. And that’s not all. The German firm is working on another track: the combustion engine running on hydrogen. A solution that Toyota is also exploring, having already built rolling prototypes, including a Yaris.

At Porsche, the study is still at the virtual stage. The design and tests were carried out only with computer simulations, a necessarily more economical solution! The work base chosen was an eight-cylinder 4.4-litre twin-turbo engine, suitable for replacing unleaded with hydrogen.

The main change concerns the turbos. With hydrogen, the combustion temperature is lower, the energy at the exhaust is reduced, the turbos therefore run less smoothly. To ensure similar power, Porsche has studied electrically assisted turbochargers, in order to obtain the right level of boost.

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The engineers obtained a power of almost 600 hp. The simulation of a lap on the German Nürburgring circuit with a vehicle weighing 2.65 tonnes, the equivalent of a Cayenne, was conclusive (time of 8 minutes 20 seconds, a time deemed good).

If the turbo is more expensive here, hydrogen makes it possible to save money on anti-pollution systems, for example the particulate filter, which balances the costs. This engine would be able to meet much stricter pollution standards. But for now, Porsche remains at the virtual stage.

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