MXA121

Since this electric sports car is causing such a reaction with "traditional Porsche buyers", is it really any different than when the Boxster arrived, or the Cayenne? Both of those vehicles were "not a 911" and really upset the purists, yet they proved to be great sellers and are now staples in the lineup.
Some even say the 986 saved the brand from failing yet people treated the Boxster (and Cayman) like second class Porsches, regardless of how many 911 parts they had. It's only recently, after years of mid engine success that people have begun to respect it (and vehemently defend it). That was less than 30 yrs ago... I'm sure everyone loved the first Panamera too 😉

spdracerut

I would contend your traditional automakers don't want EVs at all. They are still very expensive to produce for everyone except Tesla and BYD, both who have spent many years getting to their current economies of scale and cost reduction through vertical integration. Ford is losing many tens of thousands per EV sold. Last number I saw was $60k. Rivian was down to about $30k, from $120k a year earlier. Lucid was around $200k. Going from memory. Of course, all the traditional OEM dealerships are freaking out because of lost service revenue. No more oil changes. No more belt changes or spark plugs or catalytic converters, etc.

The ban is primarily for three purposes: reduce air pollution, reduce CO2, reduce oil consumption. Many things have been banned to protect the general population: lead from fuel and paint, asbestos, smoking indoors, etc.

MXA121

I think we are being a bit too pessimistic on weight assumptions so far in this thread. Hear me out.
A Panamera 4S weighs about 4400 lbs, and a Taycan 4S about 4800, give or take a bit. If we consider a Boxster S weighing 3150 and a similar powertrain delta, we end up around 3550 lbs. I believe Porsche can optimize weight further on the 718 than the Taycan, and they should!

Pretty excited about this car, to be honest. I'm actually more interested in this than a new 4.0, and I haven't even been drinking tonight. It will be awesome. And if you believe that being an EV removes what it is to be Porsche, I think you may be missing a huge part of what makes Porsche so great. If you read the C&D test of a Taycan vs Model S, they award the overall to the Tesla, but actually read what they said about driving, touch points, suspension, handling, and how the car responds to inputs. Then consider how well Porsche is approaching thermal management in their EVs (track days? Yes!) and I'm starting to see again, what makes a Porsche a Porsche, regardless of power source.

JP66

I have no idea how many folks are of similar mind, but for me there is but one reason to own a Porsche, and that is so I can drive on a track. EVs at the moment are being banned from most tracks, and even if they get over that hurdle there is no way current technology will allow for more than 2 30 minutes sessions between charging assuming everyone is driving an EV. If owning a Porsche means driving to get coffee on a twisty road an EV can work, but if, like me, owning a Porsche means driving on a track all day then that simply won't be possible in an EV given current tech. Plain and simple.

ipse dixit

Is it plaint and simple?

The two are not mutually exclusive - driving off track and on track, that is.

That is, a Porsche can both be a track toy (see GT4RS) and a daily cruiser (see Cayenne).

One (not me) could argue that a track focused Porsche like any of the RS variants are not suitable for daily use, and that a Cayenne, even the Turbo GT, is not suited for the track. And, yet, both exist and both do quite well.

So why can't a 718 EV exist along side Porsche ICE counterparts?

Zhao

I think you just connected the dots on why almost no one in this thread likes this car.

The 718 isn't really a daily driver type of car, and EV's don't really do performance or track driving well. Porsche is mating them both together as the only option for their entry level sports cars (Anyone who expects the ICE 718 to be sold next to the 718 EV beyond a short period of time is probably smoking crack).

There are people that want sugar free fat free salt free healthy plant based vegan friendly food, and there are people that like ice cream. Having an Ice cream company and making sugar free fat free salt free healthy plant based vegan friendly ice cream and then replacing all your ice cream with that sounds like a good way to liberate yourself from the burdens of having money and that is basically what Porsche is doing with this car. No one is eating ice cream to be healthy. No one wants a fat free sugar free vegan Porsche sports car. I may eat healthy for my meals, but if I am going to eat ice cream I want the best tasting ice cream not some half assed crap. I may drive a EV for a DD, but if I want a great handling ICE car for the track or back roads, I'm not tolerating a EV ruining the experience.

ipse dixit

Halo Top fans would disagree with you.

Robb M.

@Zhao please remove yourself from all EV discussions at Rennlist. you are caustic.

Schn3ll

"Right thinking will be rewarded, wrong thinking punished"

Johnauto

Agreed with this. The EV 718 is going to increase the demand for a base 911. EV’s are cumbersome and people prefer ICE sports cars.

JP66

Count me in that crowd. If I'm lucky enough to be considering a new sports car in 5 years and the only Porsche ICE option is a 911 I will definitely become a 911 lover versus a 718 EV.

TXshaggy

Better get one quick...992.2 Gen will be hybrid except for GT3.

Larson E. Rapp

(Shrug) He's right, though, at least with respect to EVs built with current battery technology.

What 's happening now is that automakers are positioning themselves for a future when battery tech is about 2x as good as it is now. If/when that comes to pass, the old objections will be forgotten, along with ICE in general.

Batteries don't need to get 10x better... which is a good thing, because the laws of chemistry and physics rule that out AFAIK. They just need to get 2x better, which may still be possible. It would be a mistake for an automaker to sit on the sidelines until that happens. Instead, it is better to build decent cars now and be ready for the day when BEV technology really is ready for prime time.

That doesn't mean I want to subsidize Porsche's R&D process by 'investing' in one of their present-day imperfect EVs. But anyone who has driven a decent current-gen EV can read the writing on this particular wall. We have a choice (for now), but Porsche and the other manufacturers really don't.

slivel

Yes, but when the next gen battery technology becomes available, the first gen EV's will suffer a huge drop in value.
And given the way manufacturers engineer in obsolescence, I doubt that first gen EV's will be able to get retrofit with new generation batteries.

Larson E. Rapp

Exactly. Why pay for somebody else's R&D?