One of the models, in particular, will be the final endurance and will continue to run on gasoline for the near future, said Detlev von Platen, head of global sales at Porsche. 911.
Even more than most high-performance cars, the Porsche 911 is defined by both its petrol engine and its unique tear profile. Its six-cylinder engine is mounted over the rear wheels, putting a significant mass of weight far behind the driver and giving the car a distinctive feel when driving on a twisty road. The car is iconic for the Porsche brand, representing it more than any other. The company has built over a million examples over several generations since 1963.
Porsche is also working with several energy companies on a carbon-neutral artificial fuel that can be burned in internal combustion engines without contributing to global warming.
A fuel plant in Chile uses wind energy to produce hydrogen gas, which is combined with carbon dioxide to produce a liquid synthetic fuel. Because the manufacture of fuel takes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it is considered carbon neutral.
Porsche said it will be the first customer for this new fuel. For now, the fuel costs about $ 10 a liter and is too expensive to use by the general public. The company hopes to reduce the cost to about $ 2 per liter. The U.S. national average for premium gas is about $ 3.47 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association, which is about 92 cents per liter.
Porsche calls it eFuel, and if it can be made in large enough quantities at low prices, it could provide a way to drive cars left on gasoline and even old Porsches without contributing to the global warning, von Platen said. More than 70 percent of all Porsches made are still on the road, he added.
Going electric
Porsche is adding even more electric cars to its range, von Platen said. The Porsche Taycan electric sports sedan has already proven to be a success for the brand, he said. More than 20,000 were sold globally last year, which is almost as much as Porsche sold from its combined 718, Boxster and Cayman sports cars.
Porsche also recently unveiled the Taycan Cross Turismo, a version similar to the Taycan wagon. It has a straighter back for more cargo space and walks slightly above the ground.
Porsche 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’ll be fully electric, von Said Platen. Most of the 80% will be fully electric, he said, but some could also be plug-in hybrids.
Porsche is currently selling several plug-in hybrid models, which have both electric and gasoline engines. Once the batteries have been charged, they can only drive for a while with electricity before the petrol engine starts to provide assistance. From that moment on, they drive like regular hybrid cars, switching back and forth between the petrol and electric engines or using both simultaneously.
The Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid, for example, can only travel 14 miles on electricity before using its 6-cylinder turbo engine.
Eventually, Porsche will have to make a complete switch to electric cars, von Plato acknowledged. “This is the future, the end point,” he said.