Porsche. A solid battery electric 911 in the works?

Will the next generation of Porsche 911 be offered in electric?

Porsche is considering an electric 911 whose solid electrolyte battery would be designed by QuantumScape, a company with which the Volkswagen group works. The “zero emission” sports car could even see the light of day before 2030.

Porsche has announced that the next generation of the Macan and 718 will be exclusively electric. The German manufacturer also expects “zero emission” vehicles to represent 80% of its annual sales by 2030. But it has also promised that, if its entire range were to abandon the internal combustion engine, the iconic 911 would be the last to do so. That doesn’t mean a battery-powered 911 isn’t in the works.

Red Porsche Taycan — Porsche’s first electric, the Taycan sedan outsold the 911 in 2021.

TO READ. Porsche 911 (2023). The hybrid version of the official sports car

What will be the last thermal 911?

Oliver Blume, CEO of Porsche, would have spoken to German journalists about Store Manager the possibility of an electric 911 seeing the light of day before the end of this decade. The current 992 being in the catalog since the end of 2018, its replacement is expected by 2026. It is therefore this ninth generation that is likely to go electric. It remains to be seen whether the leader is thinking of a 911 range totally devoid of a thermal engine or if a flat-six would still have its place, knowing that the manufacturer is a fervent defender of synthetic fuel precisely to save the thermal 911.

QuantumScape solid battery — The solid electrolyte paves the way for more compact and better performing batteries. But this technology remains to be perfected and mass-produced, and its cost remains high.

QuantumScape Porsche Taycan — Volkswagen, owner of Porsche, is investing millions in QuantumScape.

Porsche pioneer of the solid battery?

To power the motor(s) of this possible electric 911, Porsche would consider a solid electrolyte battery. The Zuffenhausen company is currently studying this configuration with QuantumScape, an American battery specialist in which the Volkswagen group is investing heavily ($300 million to date). All the major automotive groups are working on this promising technology in terms of energy density and performance; the most optimistic of them considering a market launch before the end of this decade (Nissan in 2027). The arrival of a solid-battery electric Porsche 911 before 2030 therefore remains questionable. On the other hand, Porsche recently formalized the development of a hybrid 911.