The Porsche 911 will be powered by combustion “for as long as possible”
Porsche is surging towards the electrification of its entire product range—with one key exception: the 911.
By the year 2030 the German sports car maker has pledged that 80 percent of its lineup will be fully-electric, however, according to Porsche’s e-fuels team leader Karl Dums the rear-engined icon will escape. “We will produce the 911 as long as possible with a combustion engine,” he told Reuters.
Porsche has invested heavily in e-fuels, with carbon-neutral gasoline—produced in conjunction with Chilean energy firm HIG Global—already powering several of its racing programs. Porsche, alongside Ferrari, recently pushed European lawmakers into providing an exemption to allow ICE-powered cars to continue into the 2030s as long as they run on e-fuels and, if that gets ratified then the life of the car’s character-defining flat-six in the 911 would be extended.
While the 911’s main motive power will—for the foreseeable future at least—be from combustion, the next generation is expected to feature at least some electric accentuation when the Turbo S hybrid is launched in 2024.
As for the rest of Porsche’s plans, an all-electric Macan SUV will be on sale in 2024, followed by the 718 (Boxster and Cayman) and the company’s best-seller, the Cayenne.
As it gears up for this rapid expansion the company has also announced that it will be building a network of Porsche Charging Lounges where owners can relax or work in luxurious surroundings, with drinks and snacks on offer, while their cars charge at speeds of up to 300 kW on renewable energy. Germany, Austria and Switzerland will be the first to get these high-end charge stations, but other regions may well follow.
I expect most high end sports cars to hold out till the very bitter end. Markets closing to them will force them to change.
The artificial fuel will still be too costly to all but the super rich,
Heavy EV batteries are counter to all that small light sports cars are.
Hydrogen is the oorrect answer to everything but nobody is trying to do anything about making it affordable.
The correct answer is the fuel we have but we are pursuing other options that have less energy density or are more costly to please politicians pushing climate policy crap on all of us. This mandated death by governments is not wise but since when do politicians do the wise / right thing to do.
It is said that a people get the government they deserve. That seems especially true in the West as schools have specialized in indoctrination rather than in education for so long that even universities are staffed by idiots.
Amen to that!
Agee 100%….right on Gary!
Well said Gary. We seriously are now living in the age of the absurd.