Porsche Pulls the Plug on Hybrids

Porsche Mission E EV. 

Death to hybrid Porsche's and Automologist MAC is not mourning AT ALL. 

Reading the auto-press, it would seem that hybridisation is becoming as inevitable as death and taxation; whilst it would seem to be logical in large sedans or SUV’s that have a lot of inertia to overcome when they try to go from stopped to fast, I really can’t see the advantage in a light-weight sports car. Now it would seem that I may not be the only one that questions the logic of adding a second powertrain to a vehicle, after the project director for Porsche 911, August Achleitner, has announced that his preference is for cars to be either fully electric, in line with Porsche's Mission E programme, or to have a hairy-chested combustion engine.

The relentless march of the hemp-wearing trouser brigade when it comes to the greening of our daily rides may have hit a bit of a rocky road then. I am not a complete Luddite when it comes to these things, but like a voice in the wilderness, I see it to be fairly pointless to hybridise cars like the 911; if you like itchy trousers, go get a Toyota Prius. Simply put, the addition of what is, in effect, a second powertrain to an already overweight vehicle will not achieve the fuel economies or the reduction in emissions that we all really want.

Issues with the weight of a 911 hybrid, along with Porsche's prediction for a lack of demand, are the reasons for the decision to not proceed with the development of a hybrid; it may seem strange, as the rest of the VW Group, of which Porsche belongs, seem to be heading into the realm of the hybrid. As Porsche would still offer the standard combustion engines, sales for the 911 hybrid would be low, making the cost of development high and the reduction in emissions across the range negligible, thus pointless. 

 

Not so for the Mission E offering that is being developed in conjunction with Audi. This is expected to be a Tesla-beating fully electric sedan that is worthy of the Porsche logo. Porsche has kept its cards close to the chest but a number of snippets have leaked out along with a swag of pictures.

The powertrain on the Mission E vehicle is expected to be a 800-volt offering, which is supposedly capable of achieving an 80% charge in just 15 minutes, sending 600 bhp to the wheels and capable of getting a four-seater sedan up to 100 kilometres in just 3.8 seconds, which is probably fast enough to tear the skin of your face and thus worthy of a Porsche badge; sure to be hit, assuming you can find any 800-volt charging stations after your battery dies on a rainy night in the middle of nowhere. 

August Achleitner, my hero.