Dr. Michael Steiner über den Porsche Mission E – Interview auf der IAA 2017

We are under electricity and have been for a long time. I may remind you that we already presented our Mission E two years ago here in Frankfurt. And when you present a concept car, you have to decide to do that more than a year earlier. That was clearly before this crisis. And at Porsche, we are in the middle of electrification. We now have several plug-in hybrids in the Panamera, currently two, and the new Cayenne will of course also get a plug-in hybrid drive.

We are sure, yes, otherwise we wouldn't have taken the step. But of course there is also a certain uncertainty for us as to how quickly and how many customers will accept fully electric sports cars. We believe we have a really great offer, and the first experiences with the car, when you drive the red horse, are such that I say, yes, that will be a real Porsche.

So financially, commercially, of course the topic is how many euros does such a large battery cost. The prices per kilowatt-hour are decreasing year by year, and the weight per installed kilowatt-hour is slowly going down. We will get that under control, especially for premium vehicles, for high-priced vehicles. For customers, we believe that the topic of fast charging without damaging the cells, without reducing the lifespan, is the most exciting, and that will help the breakthrough for long-distance e-mobility.

Technologically, it is certain that we will set a standard with the 800-volt technology. More and more manufacturers and suppliers are interested in this technology, and possibly we will also get, with our components, the entire pillar of this technology, a technology that can be rolled out in large quantities. We are not yet completely sure today about the concrete components, but we are very happy about both.

Yes, you are exactly right. Both fast discharging, i.e., when driving performantly, as well as fast charging produce a lot of heat and temperature. And there you have to keep the charging technology, the power electronics, but also the battery itself and the cells thermally in a range that is suitable for these components, essentially so that you have to water all these things or cool them with liquid.

So we have set ourselves the goal of realizing at least 500 kilometers of range with the car. We believe that, at least at the beginning of e-mobility, it is a kind of entry barrier where customers say, yes, I can do something with that, not only in city traffic and urban environment but also for longer distances. But at least as important to us is that the customer can recharge very quickly on the highways at the charging stations when he sees the end of the range. And with this fast recharging, we believe that the topic of range as such may lose some importance. That means 500 km guaranteed, even in winter at minus 5. We will certainly see ranges in the order of 351 kilometers under unfavorable climatic conditions, but even that is a range that one can live well with in winter or in summer when it's very hot. Also, we humans need a little break now and then. Indeed, I can confirm that.

We will not hang up diesel in the short term. There are also today not only customers who want diesel, but rather... our entire fleet long-term strategically, there is of course intensive discussion at our end about how long diesel is the right technology. But that is decided not only by us, but also by the times and our customers.

So we had in the last generation about 10 percent hybrid share, and we currently see with the Panamera, the new Panamera with the new plug-in hybrid drivetrain in two variants, order intakes that are heading towards 20 percent. We hope and expect that it is a sustainable trend, meaning the demand for plug-in hybrids is growing significantly.

We consider for each next step whether a series gets plug-in hybrids or possibly even becomes fully electric. That is the trade-off step by step. After the plug-in hybrid drives in the Panamera and the new Cayenne, the next logical step for us was to first make a fully electric vehicle. But as already said, for every further step, we ask ourselves whether a plug-in hybrid drivetrain makes sense in its design or possibly a complete electrification, and we decide that as late as possible, i.e., as close to the market as possible.

Currently no, but I am already looking forward to a Turbo S E-Hybrid, and then the Mission E will come. In your garage? In the garage it will come at the earliest at the end of the decade when it is available for customers. Currently I have to console myself with prototypes, but that is also a great joy. Thank you.