Porsche will take a leaf out of Tesla’s book and develop its own network of public electric vehicle chargers.
The brand used its annual meeting to announce its plan, which will see DC fast chargers installed on busy highways in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
The first chargers will be operational by the end of 2022, and are reserved for Porsche owners.
Tesla takes the same approach with its Supercharger network, locking out cars from rival brands.
Porsche says its charge stations will be like luxurious lounges; Audi last year tested a similar concept with its modular charging hub in Nuremberg.
Although the network will be limited to Europe initially, it could eventually spread to the USA and China.
The push to install a charging network comes as Porsche prepares to make some of its existing models electric. As previously confirmed, the 718 Cayman and Boxster will be battery-powered by the middle of the 2020s.
We’re also expecting an electric Macan to show its face during 2022. It’ll be sold alongside the petrol-powered model, which was recently facelifted for the second time.
The Macan EV will use the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) that Porsche is co-developing with Audi.
Pictured: A clay model of what’s thought to be the electric Macan
Long-term, Porsche anticipates 80 per cent of its sales will be electric by 2030.
“In 2025, half of all new Porsche sales are expected to come from the sale of electric vehicles – i.e. all-electric or plug-in hybrid,” said Oliver Blume, Porsche AG CEO.
“In 2030, the share of all new vehicles with an all-electric drive should be more than 80 per cent.”
Series production of the next-generation battery cells Porsche plans to use in its next electric cars will be up and running by 2024.
The Mission R concept that’ll inspire the electric 718
Porsche’s best-selling car is already electric.
The iconic Porsche 911 was outsold by the Taycan in 2021, though the rear-engined sports car reached a new record of 38,464 sales globally.
The 911 outsold the Panamera (30,220 deliveries) and the 718 Cayman and Boxster (20,502 combined), but still couldn’t outsell the Taycan (41,296).
MORE: What’s next for the Porsche 718?
MORE: Porsche previews electric Macan SUV
