With Porsche’s 918 hypercar ending production half a decade ago, the German performance brand has been without any representation that’s more extreme than its 911 marquee. Even though Porsche’s parent, the Volkswagen Group has been very gung-ho about moving forward with electrification, it looks like it will be a while before an electric hypercar will get some attention.
Porsche and their Taycan have been one of the first automakers of the current crop to release an electric car. The Taycan was a wholly brand new model and Porsche has seen success, selling over 20,000. Not too bad for a six-figure car. With Porsche seeing demand and the VW Group showing aggressive electrification plans, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see the 918 replacement being a completely electric hypercar.
With Porsche returning to Le Mans in 2023, it seemed like a good opportunity for them to release an electric street-legal version of their endurance racer. Unfortunately, however, CEO Oliver Blume told journalists that we should not be expecting any sort of electric hypercar for the next four years.
“In terms of following the 918, a hypercar is always something we are thinking about at Porsche, but for the next few years, our concentration is on the electrification of our model range. The battery will be the ‘cylinder’ of tomorrow, so we still have to investigate high-power, high-density cells. We will invest in these cells, and when we have the right cell for a high-power car, then will come the point, but I don’t think about this car before the second half of the decade.”
While it might be sad news for auto enthusiasts, it obviously makes sense for the company to try and electrify their highest volume cars before moving on to something like a 918, which really acts as the cherry on top of a much larger dessert. Porsche has been hard at work with battery development and is exploring using silicon instead of graphite within the cells which should allow the batteries to operate under higher temperature, perfect for high-performance applications.
What year do you think we will see an electric hypercar from Porsche? Let us know down in the comments below.
Source: Autocar
