One of the models, in particular, will be the ultimate goal and will continue to run on gasoline for the foreseeable future, said Detlev von Platen, Porsche’s global head of sales. The 911.
Even more so than most high-performance cars, the Porsche The 911 is defined by both its gasoline engine and its unique tear profile. Its six-cylinder engine is mounted on the rear wheels, which means a significant mass of weight behind the driver and gives the car a distinctive feel when driving on a twisting road. The car is iconic for the Porsche brand and represents it more than any other. The company has built more than a million examples over several generations since 1963.
Porsche also works with several energy companies on a carbon-free artificial fuel that can be burned in internal combustion engines without contributing to global warming.
A fuel manufacturing plant in Chile uses wind energy to produce hydrogen gas, which is combined with carbon dioxide to make a liquid synthetic fuel. Because the manufacture of fuel takes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it is considered carbon neutral.
Porsche has said it will be the first customer of this new fuel. At the moment, the fuel costs about $ 10 per liter and is too expensive for its audience to use. The company expects to reduce the cost to about $ 2 per dollar liter. According to the American Automobile Association, the U.S. average national premium gas is about $ 3.47 a gallon, which is about 92 cents a liter.
Porsche calls it eFuel and, if it can be manufactured in large enough quantities at low prices, could provide a way to drive its remaining gasoline vehicles and even old Porsches without contributing to the global warning, von Platen said . He added that more than 70% of all manufactured Porsches are never on the road.
Go electric
Porsche continues to add more electric cars to its lineup, von Platen said. The Porsche Taycan electric sports sedan has already proven to be a hit for the brand, he said. Last year more than 20,000 were sold worldwide, which is almost as many as Porsche sold from its Model 718 sports vehicles, the Boxster and Cayman combined.
Porsche also recently unveiled the Taycan Cross Turismo, a version similar to the Taycan wagon. It has a more square back for more cargo space and circulates a little above the ground.
Porsche has also previously announced that the next version of the small Macan SUV will be electric.
When Porsche executives say 80% of the brand’s vehicles will be electrified by 2030, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are fully electric, von “Said Platen.” Most of the 80% will be fully electric, he said, but some could also be plug-in hybrids.
Porsche currently sells some plug-in hybrid models, which have both electric and gasoline engines. Once the batteries are charged, they can drive for a while with only electric power before the gasoline engine goes into service to provide assistance. From that point on, they drive like normal hybrid cars, switching back and forth between the gasoline engine and electric motors or using both at the same time.
The Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid, for example, can make only 14 miles of electricity before its 6-cylinder turbocharged engine has to be used.
Ultimately, Porsche will have to make a complete change to electric cars, von Plato granted. “This is the future, full stop,” he said.