Porsche has bought a 10% stake in Croatian electric hypercar maker Rimac for an undisclosed amount.
The move is announced as Porsche gears up to launch the Taycan, its first full-electric car, amid an industry shift towards full electrification.
It’s thought that Porsche made the investment with the aim of using Rimac’s electric powertrain technology in its future models, while it will help Rimac grow by supplying its powertrain and technological components to other companies.
“We feel that Rimac’s ideas and approaches are extremely promising, which is why we hope to enter into close collaboration with the company in the form of a development partnership,” said Porsche board member Lutz Meschke. “By developing the purely electric two-seaters super sports cars, like the Concept One or C Two, as well as core vehicle systems, Rimac has impressively demonstrated its credentials in the field of electromobility.”
Porsche’s announcement focused on Rimac’s expertise in high-voltage battery tech and EV powertrains that it stands to gain from the deal.
Rimac CEO Mate Rimac said: “This partnership now is an important step for Rimac on our way to become a component and system supplier of choice for the industry in electrification, connectivity and the exciting field of advanced driver assistance systems.”
The move is the latest in a series of strategic investments in the car industry to accelerate progress in electric vehicles. Earlier this year, Geely CEO Li Shufu bought a stake of just under 10% in Daimler for an estimated £6.4 billion to further Geely’s EV efforts.
The Taycan arrives in 2020 and will be available in several variants, based on a shared architecture named J1. It’ll be Porsche’s first EV in its 70-year history, although the brand will increase its zero-emissions offerings over time, culminating in its core model, the 911, going electric.
Mini, Vauxhall, BMW, Skoda, Seat and others are all preparing to launch electric-only cars in the coming two years, either as derivatives of existing models or stand-alone vehicles in their own right.
Read more:
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2040 Snail?
Infrastructure wise it's sounds pretty much spot on. Vehicle wise it sounds a bit pessimistic.
Porsche's first electric car
Not quite the first "Porsche" electric car. Ferdinand Porsche developed one introduced in 1898 as the Sytem Lohner Porsche. It had front wheel electric hub motors and he subsequently developed petrol/electric hybrids including a serial hybrid.
At that time it was far from clear which power source would dominate, much like today. Then they were looking at petrol, electric, hybrid, steam and gas.
We are in a similar state of flux now - well it won't be steam but will it be electric with batteries (and which of a multitude of chemistries) or extremely high energy density capacitors or fuel cells, will it be ICE with petrol or diesel or CNG/LNG/LPG (massively cleaner than petrol or diesel and potentially near zero CO2 with bio gas).
In my opinion it will be electric motors to drive the wheels, but where the energy is stored or produced is the real uncertainty. Ultimately batteries or extremely high energy density capacitors (if current early stage developments pan out) seem most likely to triumph.
I have a strong suspicion
I have a strong suspicion that once the initial market for these fast electric cars is met, there will be tumbleweeds on the forecourts.
Has anyone ever paid money for a quieter exhaust on a type of car that is, however you dress it up, largely designed for showing off in?
This is alcohol free beer. They say it tastes the same, without any of the nasty drunken side effects. But that rather misses the point doesn't it?
Electric cars
I am sure much the same was said in relation to the loss of the clip clop of the horse, perhaps also its defecation (so useful for gardens) with the demise of the horse drawn carriage and similarly the huge clouds of steam and smoke from steam engines. Just because you are acustomed to noise and filth from your vehicles doesn't mean it has to continue. There are not too many horse drawn vehicles or steam carriages around today and similarly in a few years there won't be many ICEs around.
Anyway if you want noise you can have it simulated, as is already the case with so many so called sporty vehicles. That way you keep it inside the car. I am sure for those sad people who can't move with the times electric vehicles can be programmed to interrupt the torque delivery to simulate gear changes. For the real stick in the muds vaping add ons could simulate exhaust smoke and perhaps steam clouds and defecation could also be produced for the ultra nostalgic.
SJK wrote:
And who are you to tell people what to drive and what they should like?
Like all electric fanatics they grasp for the positives purposely neglecting the drawbacks of electric cars (and the brain dead even say they dont have any).
And the horse comparision is just beyond.... you get it. Better not write it here.
Uberfranciss44
If you read my comment you will find that I didn't tell people what to drive or what they should like.
I did suggest that if you like the filth, noise and lack of smooth uninterrupted power of an ICE you could still enjoy these via simulations in an electric car, thereby putting at ease the minds of those worried that the people who can tell them what to drive, the Governemnt, will be telling them they can't drive ICEs in city centres and, by 2040, anywhere.
I drive an electric car and so am well aware of the benefits and disadvantages of these vehicles. The former greatly outwiegh the latter, in fact the only disadvantage I have found whilst silently and cleanly (and quickly when necessary) driving is that the 30 kwh battery of my Leaf along with the present low density of rapid chargers occasionally gives rise to a smidgen of range anxiety on cross country drives, especially in winter when range is reduced a little.
Such range anxiety is fading into the background as more rapid chargers become available and with the next Leaf having a 64kwh battery (giving me 240 plus miles range at my present consumption rate), and being capable of faster rapid charging, it will be as much a thing of the past as ICEs.
The horse droppings were probably less harmful (and at least useful for gardens) than the particulates and NOx output by current EU6 diesel engines. Look at the FIA measurements of current EU6 compliant diesels - 90% exceed the NOx limits by more than 100% (180mg/k as opposed to a limit of 80) when measured on the road. The worst are 16 times the limit. Even those with SCR and urea injection miss by miles because the manufacturers have programmed the systems to stop injecting urea under hard acceleration or after a certain time because the urea tanks would need to be way larger and the expense and inconveniece for the driver unacceptable. Once the diesel is gone there could be a market for the urea in a simulation of horse urination.
SJK wrote:
Yes, because it is not "filhty" to drill our planet for rare materials used in battery production, just like it is to drill for oil.
Why do electric fanatics feel such need to undermine what others enjoy (sound, actual mechanical feel)?! It is almost like electric cars are so perfect the market is dominated by them...... NOT!
SJK wrote:
Other thing, you do know petrol and diesel engines are not banned beyond 2040 right?!
Uberfrancis44
The government has announced that it will ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars in 2040. It later clarified the staement by adding that hybrids with 50 miles + range of zero emission travel will be allowed. MPs want it advanced to 2030! Right?!
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/uks-new-petrol-and-diesel-car-ban-could-be-enforced-2030