Tech
Porsche hints at Apple collab, says 80 percent of lineup will EVs by 2030
On top of its electric vehicle ambitions, Porsche vaguely hinted at some potential joint projects with Apple.
Another luxury car maker has committed to an electrifying its vehicle lineup. During its annual press conference, Porsche said they’re aiming to have more than 80 percent of new vehicles run on an all-electric drive by 2030.
It’s notably not 100 percent, but the automaker is already moving towards its end-of-the-decade goal. Porsche says that last year, nearly 40 percent of its new vehicles in Europe were at least partly electric, meaning either plug-in hybrids or fully-electric. They’re looking to bump up that percentage by 2025, setting a goal of half of all newly sold Porsches being either hybrids or all-electric.
Porsche has already introduced the all-electric Taycan and even designed an “electric sport sound” option to counteract how quiet most electric vehicles are. It’s definitely not the same alluring rumble as Porsche’s combustion engines, but you can’t argue with the environmental benefit. Again, Porsche didn’t say 100 percent electric vehicles by 2030, so we’ll likely still hear those familiar engine noises at the race tracks.
Long-term goals — To hit that 2030 goal, Porsche is working on several electric counterparts of its existing cars. The current electric car portfolio includes the previously-mentioned Taycan, alongside an electric version of its Macan SUV and its 718 models, as well as hybrid versions of its Panamera sedan and Cayenne SUV.
To charge its upcoming fleet of electric vehicles, Porsche said it’s investing in its own exclusive charging station infrastructure. The company is aiming for more than 1,000 charging stations by 2025, which will have 350kW charging power and up to six charging points per station. Porsche is also working with its Cellforce Group, who’s designing high-performance battery cells that are expected to be ready by 2024.
Apple collab? — Besides its EVs, Porsche hinted at some collaborative projects with Apple during its annual press conference. Oliver Blume, CEO of Porsche, said during a video conference call about its annual results that managers from Porsche visited Apple in the U.S. late last year to talk about joint projects.
There’s no concrete details on any future projects together, but Blume did note that Porsche and Apple will expand on the existing Apple CarPlay feature. Apple is rumored to be toying with the idea of Apple Car, but nobody really knows what’s happening on that front. It’s not the first time that Apple has been reportedly talking to some major car makers.
