Editing Ferdinand Porsche (section)

==Early career==
[[File:Lohner Porsche.jpg|thumb|The [[Lohner–Porsche]] Mixte Hybrid]]
In 1897<ref name=Biography/> or 1898, Porsche joined the Vienna-based factory [[Lohner-Werke|Jakob Lohner & Company]], which produced coaches for Emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria]] as well as for the monarchs of the UK, Sweden, and Romania.<ref>{{citation| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mpxIAAAAYAAJ| title = Lohner zu Land, zu Wasser und in der Luft: die Geschichte eines industriellen Familienunternehmens von 1823-1970| author = Erwin Steinböck| publisher = H. Weishaupt| year = 1984| isbn = 9783900310080|language = de}}</ref> Jakob Lohner had begun construction of automobiles in 1896 under [[Ludwig Lohner]] in the trans-[[Danube|Danubian]] suburb of [[Floridsdorf]]. Their first design — unveiled in Vienna, Austria, on 26 June 1898 — was the [[Porsche P1|Egger–Lohner vehicle]] (also referred to as the C.2 Phaeton).

The Egger–Lohner was a carriage-like car driven by two [[electric motor]]s within the front wheel hubs, powered by batteries. This drivetrain construction was easily expanded to [[four-wheel drive]], by mounting two more electric motors to the rear wheels, and a four-motor example was ordered by Englishman E. W. Hart in 1900. In December that year, the car was displayed at the [[Exposition Universelle (1900)|Paris World Exhibition]] under the name Toujours-Contente. Even though this one-off vehicle<ref>[http://www.carkeys.co.uk/features/classichistoric/2938.asp Lohner–Porsche: The Real Story] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928031141/http://www.carkeys.co.uk/features/classichistoric/2938.asp |date=28 September 2007 }}</ref> had been commissioned for the purposes of racing and record-breaking, its {{convert|1,800|kg|lb|abbr=on}} of [[lead–acid battery|lead–acid batteries]] was a severe shortcoming. Though it "showed wonderful speed when it was allowed to sprint",{{Citation needed|date=October 2007}} the weight of the batteries rendered it slow to climb hills. It also suffered from limited range due to limited battery life.

Still employed by Lohner, Porsche introduced the "[[Lohner–Porsche]] Mixte Hybrid" in 1901: instead of a massive battery-pack, an [[internal combustion engine]] built by the German firm [[Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft|Daimler]] drove a [[Electric generator|generator]] which in turn drove the electric [[wheel hub motor]]s. As a backup a small battery pack was fitted. This is the first [[hybrid electric vehicle|petroleum-electric hybrid vehicle]] on record. Since sufficiently reliable gears and couplings were not available at the time, he chose to make it a [[series-hybrid]], an arrangement now more common in [[diesel–electric transmission|diesel–electric]] or [[turbo-electric transmission|turbo-electric]] railway locomotives than in automobiles.

Though over 300 Lohner–Porsche chassis were sold up to 1906, most of them were two-wheel drive; either front- or rear-wheel driven trucks, buses and fire-engines. Some four wheel drive buses were produced, but no four wheel drive automobiles.

The vehicles achieved speeds of up to {{convert|56|km/h}}, broke several Austrian speed records, and also won the Exelberg Rally in 1901, with Porsche himself driving a front-wheel drive hybrid. It was later upgraded with more powerful engines from [[Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft|Daimler]] and [[Panhard]], which proved to be enough to gain more speed records. In 1905 Porsche was awarded the ''[[Pötting]] prize'' as Austria's most outstanding automotive engineer.

In 1902, he was drafted into military service. He served as a chauffeur to [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria|Archduke Franz Ferdinand]], the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne whose assassination has been credited with contributing to the start of WWI.{{sfn|Long|2002|p=6}}