In particular, one model will be the last time and will remain on petrol for the foreseeable future, said Detlev von Platen, head of Porsche. The 911.
Even more so than most high-performance cars, the Porsche 911 is defined just as much as its unique tear profile by its petrol engine. Its six-cylinder engine is mounted over the rear wheels, which places a considerable weight far behind the driver and gives the car a distinctive feel when driving on a turning road. The car is iconic for the Porsche brand and represents it more than any other. The company has built up more than a million examples in several generations since 1963.
Porsche is also working with various energy companies on a carbon-neutral artificial fuel that can be burned in internal combustion engines without contributing to global warming.
A fuel manufacturing plant in Chile uses wind power to produce hydrogen gas, which is combined with carbon dioxide to make a liquid synthetic fuel. Because the production of fuel takes carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, it is considered carbon neutral.
Porsche said it would be the first customer for this new fuel. Currently, the fuel costs about $ 10 per liter and is too expensive to use by the general public. The company hopes to reduce costs to about $ 2 per liters. According to the American Motor Association, which is about 92 cents per liter, the American national average for premium gas is about $ 3.47 per liter.
Porsche calls it eFuel and if it can be manufactured in large enough quantities at low prices, it could provide a way to drive its remaining petrol-powered cars and even old Porsches without contributing to global warning, von Platen said. More than 70% of all Porsches ever made are still on the road, he added.
Go electric
Porsche is adding more and more electric cars, ”said von Platen. The Porsche Taycan electric sports sedan is already a success for the brand, he said. More than 20,000 were sold worldwide last year, which is almost as much as Porsche’s of its 718 sports cars, the Boxster and Cayman, combined.
Porsche also recently unveiled the Taycan Cross Turismo, a wagon-like version of the Taycan. It has a square back for more cargo space and drives slightly higher off the ground.
Porsche also announced earlier that the next version of the Macan small SUV will be electric.
When Porsche executives say that 80% of the brand’s vehicles will be electrified by 2030, that does not necessarily mean it will be fully electric, von Platen said. Most of the 80% will be fully electric, he said, but some could also be plug-in hybrids.
Porsche currently sells a plug-in hybrid model, which has both electric and petrol engines. After charging their batteries, they can drive on electric power alone before the petrol engine kicks in to provide assistance. From then on, they drive like ordinary hybrid cars, switch back and forth between the petrol engine and electric cars or use both at the same time.
For example, the Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid can only drive 14 kilometers on electricity before using its turbocharged 6-cylinder engine.
Eventually, Porsche will have to switch completely to electric motors, von Plates admitted. “This is the future, period,” he said.