Browsing through Porsche’s expansive 911 lineup takes up most of the day, but that doesn’t mean the peeps from Zuffenhausen are done expanding the portfolio. The German sports car brand has been talking about adding a hybrid version for several years, and while you still can’t buy it, it’s definitely coming. Company chairman Oliver Blume sat down and chatted with Car Magazine and reaffirmed plans to electrify the iconic model.
As well as announcing more off-road-oriented derivatives are in the pipeline, the 54-year-old executive said Porsche intends to “add a very sporty hybridization to the 911.” Nearly a year ago, Oliver Blume said it wouldn’t be the PHEV variety, likely because it would add too much weight. Instead, it will be a self-charging hybrid with technology adapted from the Le Mans-winning 919 endurance race car.
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At Porsche, the future is undoubtedly electric. According to the company’s latest roadmap, more than 80 percent of annual sales will be represented by hybrids and EVs by the end of the decade. A hybrid 911 will be added to the lineup within this timeframe, but a pure electric model has been ruled out until as early as 2030.
Before the 911 went hybrid, Porsche drove it without producing any emissions. To mark the start of synthetic fuel production, the rear-engined sports car’s fuel tank is filled with eFuel which is made from water and carbon dioxide using wind energy. This is more than just an experiment as the company intends to increase production almost entirely of CO2Rp-neutral fuel to 550 million liters (145,294 gallons) per year by 2027.
Oliver Blume told Car Magazine The 911 “will be the model we will drive as long as possible with the combustion engine.” In other words, it will be the last model in the lineup to lose its ICE, which will be left behind by the smaller Boxster and Cayman in 2025 as the next-generation 718 will come exclusively in EV form.