One model, in particular, will be the last outage and will continue to run on gasoline for the foreseeable future, said Porsche’s head of global sales, Detlev von Platen. The 911.
Even more so than most high-performance cars, the Porsche The 911 is characterized by both its petrol engine and its unique droplet profile. The six-cylinder engine is mounted over the rear wheels, putting considerable weight well behind the driver and giving the car a distinctive feel when driving on a winding road. The car is iconic to the Porsche brand and represents it more than any other. The company has built more than a million units 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 combines with carbon dioxide to make a liquid synthetic fuel. Since making the fuel takes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it is considered carbon neutral.
Porsche has said it will be the first customer for this new fuel. For now, the fuel costs about $ 10 a liter and is too expensive for the general public to use. The company hopes to cut costs to about $ 2 each liter. The US national average for premium gas is about $ 3.47 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association, which is about 92 cents per gallon.
Porsche calls it eFuel and, if it can be made in large enough quantities at low prices, it could be a way to drive its remaining gasoline 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 still adding 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 worldwide last year, almost as much as Porsche of its 718 model 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 squarer rear for more cargo space and rides a little higher off the ground.
Porsche previously announced 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, it doesn’t necessarily mean they 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 some plug-in hybrid models which have both electric and gasoline engines. After their batteries are charged, they can run on electricity alone for a while before the gasoline engine kicks in to provide assistance. From then on, they drive like regular hybrid cars, switching back and forth between the gasoline engine and the electric motor, or using both at the same time.
For example, the Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid can drive 22 kilometers on electricity alone before its turbocharged six-cylinder engine has to be used.
Ultimately, Porsche will have to make a full switch to electric cars, von The record gave in. “That’s the future, period,” he said.