Electromobility Is A Perfect Match For Porsche
Electromobility Is A Perfect Match For Porsche

Video: Electromobility Is A Perfect Match For Porsche

Video: Electromobility Is A Perfect Match For Porsche
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Porsche will launch its first electric car, the Taycan, at the end of the year. In an interview with Autogazette, Porsche boss Oliver Blume talks about the path to electromobility and why it fits the brand perfectly.

Porsche will increase production capacities for the Taycan due to the high demand for the electric sports car. This is what Porsche boss Oliver Blume announced in an interview with Autogazette and the magazine electrified.

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So far, the car manufacturer had planned an annual production of 20,000 units for its first electric model. The Taycan is built in the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen.

20,000 prospective buyers for Porsche Taycan

“We are overwhelmed by the demand for this vehicle that customers have not even seen before. That shows the great trust our customers place in us,”said Blume. As the Porsche boss added, around 20,000 customers around the world have so far expressed their interest in buying the Taycan as part of a so-called depositor program with a deposit of 2500 euros. “That is well above what we expected,” said Blume.

Porsche will be bringing the Taycan onto the market with two battery sizes, starting with the larger package. The entry-level version with the smaller battery will start at less than 100,000 euros,”announced Blume.

Porsche is and will remain a sports car brand

Porsche boss Oliver Blume. dpa
Porsche boss Oliver Blume. dpa

Autogazette: Mr. Blume, what do you say to Porsche fans who see electromobility as a wrong path?

Oliver Blume: That electric mobility, with its high efficiency and outstanding performance values, is a perfect match for Porsche. And I refer to our positive experience with plug-in hybrids: Porsche was the first manufacturer to offer them in three premium segments at the same time. More than 60 percent of customers in Europe already opt for a plug-in hybrid for the Panamera.

Autogazette: Are you surprised by this high demand?

Blume: Not at all. We designed the plug-in hybrid variants as high-performance vehicles. In the Panamera even as the top model in the series. Our plug-in hybrids are anything but dispensable vehicles.

Autogazette: Did the stricter CO2 limit values and the Paris climate protection agreement have an impact on your decision to make Porsche an electric brand ?

Blume: One thing first: Porsche is and will remain a sports car brand - with gasoline engines and electric drives. And we are committed to the Paris climate protection goals, with no ifs or buts. After all, as a car manufacturer, we have a clear responsibility to reduce CO2 emissions in traffic. Even if our market share as a premium manufacturer is very small, it is out of the question for my fellow board members and me to show up to others. Rather, we see the radiance of our brand as a mandate to lead by example.

Porsche stands by these ambitious goals

A reduction in CO2 is required to meet the climate protection goals. Photo: dpa
A reduction in CO2 is required to meet the climate protection goals. Photo: dpa

Autogazette: Against this background, was there no other decision for you than electromobility?

Blume: As a manufacturer, we have three options to ensure that vehicles are locally CO2-free: electric mobility, hydrogen and synthetic fuels. In the well-to-wheel analysis, which looks at the overall energy balance from the production of the fuel to the movement of the vehicle, e-mobility is three times superior to hydrogen and six times as much as synthetic fuels. As batteries continue to develop, this benefit will be even greater. For a sports car manufacturer like Porsche, these are convincing arguments - quite apart from the outstanding performance data that can be achieved with an electric drive.

Autogazette: The EU has tightened the CO2 limit values by 2030, which provide for a reduction of 37.5 percent. Are you one of those who see this goal as overambitious?

Blume: I also consider these values to be extremely ambitious. But we have to create them in order to achieve the climate goals. That much is certain. For the political discussion, however, I would like the actors to draw on more expertise and keep an eye on the feasibility of the goals set. For us as an exclusive manufacturer that is only active in a few premium segments, I am confident that we will be able to achieve the limit values by 2030 and possibly even exceed them. Porsche stands by these ambitious goals. In the volume segment, however, much greater efforts are required to bring attractive and sustainable solutions onto the market in the short term and thus to convince customers of electromobility.

There is currently no way around electromobility

Autogazette: Do such strict CO2 limit values promote the path to electromobility?

Flower: Absolutely. In order to reduce CO2 emissions in traffic so much, there is currently no way around electromobility. However, it must be clear to us that we can only achieve a positive effect on the climate and our environment if the electricity for the production and use of the vehicles comes from renewable sources. At Porsche, we switched our German production sites to green electricity two years ago. And with the Taycan, which we will be launching on the market at the end of the year, we are going one step further: we are already producing our first e-sports car on site in a CO2-neutral manner. In the second step, this should also apply to the supply chain.

Autogazette: You have just driven the new Taycan in Arjeplog under cold conditions. Is the car already what you expect from it: namely to be a real Porsche?

Blume: Definitely! This is even said by my chassis colleagues, who are very difficult to satisfy and who, with their critical attitude, have brought Porsche to where we are today: They got out of the Taycan with shining eyes and a big grin.

I am absolutely thrilled with this vehicle

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Autogazette: Did your eyes light up too ?

Blume: And how! I am absolutely thrilled with this vehicle. It drives fantastic.

Autogazette: Can you understand that the path to electromobility is a culture shock for many Porsche customers?

Blume: We are aware of that. But I can reassure you: Even in a purely electrically powered Porsche you will find everything you expect from our brand - extremely sporty driving dynamics, outstanding performance values and, last but not least, a lot of emotionality. I am firmly convinced that the more attractive the products are, the faster electromobility will gain acceptance. However, in order to be able to continue to offer every customer what they want from our brand, we are relying on three types of drive for the future: further optimized gasoline engines, advanced plug-in hybrids and pure electric mobility.

We are overwhelmed by the demand

Autogazette: How is the initial feedback on the Taycan?

Flower: Excellent. We are overwhelmed by the demand for this vehicle that customers have not even seen before. That shows the great trust that our customers place in us.

Autogazette: There are already 3,000 pre-orders for the Taycan in Norway. Can you reveal how the response is exactly worldwide?

Blume: The Taycan cannot be pre-ordered yet. However, as part of a depository program, you can express your interest in buying for 2500 euros. Around 20,000 customers have already done this worldwide. That is well above what we expected. Usually the run only starts when the first driving reports are available, when the vehicle is presented and you have sat down.

Autogazette: What does this huge demand mean for delivery times? Because up until now you had planned with only 20,000 units per year.

Blume: In view of the great demand, we will increase our production capacities. If there are waiting times, there will be options to introduce the customer to the Taycan. For example, we could temporarily provide him with a Panamera plug-in hybrid before he gets a Taycan. We are now waiting for the start of production before we talk about specific delivery times.

We will not build off-the-shelf vehicles

Autogazette: You won't be offering any preconfigured vehicles to shorten delivery times?

Blume: No, we won't be building off-the-shelf vehicles. Every customer gets exactly the vehicle they want.

Autogazette: Can you reveal the price range in which the Taycan will move?

Blume: We will be offering the Taycan with two battery sizes, starting with the larger package. The entry-level variant with the smaller battery will start at less than 100,000 euros. And as with our combustion engines, the Taycan will also have many attractive extras.

Autogazette: Your goal is for every second Porsche to have an electric drive by 2025. Do you also include plug-in hybrids?

Blume: Yes, we also include plug-in hybrids here.

Autogazette: Is it true that from 2030 there will only be Porsche electric cars?

Blume: We never made that statement. For the future, as already mentioned, we will rely on a triad of drives in which combustion engines will continue to have their place. We are constantly developing them to make them even more efficient and environmentally friendly. As long as it is legally permitted, we will offer the 911, our icon, as a combustion engine. Nonetheless, the new, eighth generation has already been developed with hybrid capability. And if we one day offer it partially electric, it will only be an absolute high-performance variant.

The new generation of the Macan will drive purely electrically

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Autogazette: Daimler has just announced that it will be offering a plug-in hybrid with a range of almost 100 kilometers in the second half of the year. When will you have that?

Blume: The next generation of batteries will come in 2020. With it, we are increasing the ampere hours of the cells from 37 to 47. In this way, we achieve greater ranges, which we will gradually introduce into our products.

Autogazette: Are you thinking about having your electric cars produced locally in China?

Blume: China is our largest single market with around 80,000 deliveries a year. However, these are relatively small numbers for your own production. So so far it has not been an issue for us to manufacture locally in China. At some point, however, we may be forced to do so by customs regulations. But we don't want to rush anything: After all, it is also important to our Chinese customers that their Porsche comes from Germany. We'll hold on to that as long as possible.

Autogazette: How many electric cars will there be from Porsche by 2025 besides the Taycan and Macan, which has just been decided?

Blume: With the Cross Turismo, the first derivative of the Taycan will go into series production at the beginning of the next decade. And as you already said: the new generation of the Macan will be all-electric. Beyond that, there are no further resolutions. But you can assume that we already have many good ideas about how we will shape the mobility of the future - sporty, sustainable and typical of Porsche.

Frank Mertens conducted the interview with Oliver Blume

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