Porsche 911 Targa

Porsche has gone back and forth regarding the launch of a partially electrified 911 and now we have official confirmation from the company’s CEO that it will happen.

In an interview with Automotive News, Oliver Blume revealed the engineers in Stuttgart are already working on a plug-in hybrid derivative of the 911 and that it will debut with the mid-cycle refresh of the next generation, specifically about four years later.

Taking into account the new 992 is slated to come out in 2019, it means the eco-friendly version is scheduled to arrive in 2023 or 2024 at the latest.

“It will be very important for the 911 to have a plug-in hybrid,” said the man in charge at Porsche, adding that although it hasn’t been green-lighted just yet, “ my opinion that we will go for it.”

The new 911 has been developed from day one with electrification in mind thanks to a platform that will be able to accommodate battery tech, according to Blume. The decision to wait until the next-generation’s mid-cycle revamp allows Porsche to perfect the plug-in hybrid system to squeeze more power and improve the batteries to allow a greater range.

Speaking of which, the company’s CEO estimates the hybridized 911 will be able to travel for up to 43 miles (69 kilometers) running solely on electric power (think NEDC in this case, so likely about 30 miles/48 km in the real world/EPA), mentioning “the potential is very good with the new generation of batteries.”

Needless to say, the adoption of a plug-in hybrid system will bring some extra weight, but Porsche has certainly done the math and believes the performance and efficiency advantages will offset the weight penalty caused by the extra hardware.

Source: Automotive News