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During its annual press conference earlier today, Porsche AG is reporting four new financial records for 2022 following a successful IPO last fall. With record revenues for the previous year, Porsche now looks ahead toward its goal of delivering 80% electrification throughout its entire vehicle lineup by 2030 and has updated the public on what and when we will see new EV models, including a bespoke SUV prototype.

Porsche AG is coming off a big year in 2022. After Porsche chief Oliver Blume took over as CEO of parent company Volkswagen Group last summer, he immediately got to work in boosting the Group’s transition to EVs.

The German automaker saw its 100,000th Taycan EV roll off its assembly lines last fall, while Porsche simultaneously began teasing additional EVs to come, including the all-electric Macan SUV. Over the past year, we’ve also learned of an EV version of the 718 on the way, which has been spotted out of roads testing.

To build hype head of its planned IPO, Blume and the Porsche team had also begun promising an entirely new SUV codenamed “K1” which will be positioned above both the Macan and Cayenne EVs in the sales pipeline.

After completing the largest IPO in Europe by market capitalization last September, Porsche is now reporting encouraging financial figures on its way toward full electrification. Here’s the latest.

Porsche EV
Credit: Porsche AG

Porsche aims for huge sales return on wings of new EVs

During its annual press conference earlier today, Porsche’s chairman of the executive board Oliver Blume relayed 13.6% revenue growth in 2022 (37.6 billion euros compared to 33.1 billion in 2021). Operating profit was also up 1.5 billion euros compared to a year prior (+27.4%) alongside record highs in vehicle deliveries and net-cash flow (+0.2 billion euros). Blume elaborated:

In difficult conditions, we achieved the strongest result in the history of Porsche, by some distance. We were also able to offer our customers exciting new products yet again in 2022. This is the result of a great team performance.

Fresh off its successful public offering, Porsche AG looks to carry momentum into 2023 with lofty new targets. The new year kicked off the group’s new “Road to 20” program, which aims to achieve an operating return of sales over 20% in the long term. Porsche deputy chairman and member of the executive board for finance and IT Lutz Meschke, spoke to the group’s goals and newfound freedom to achieve them:

With the Road to 20 we are making Porsche even more resilient and our brand stronger than ever. And we’re going to take a fresh look at everything, from our product range and pricing to our cost structure. We want to increase the quality of our contribution margins and make our products even more attractive.

We can now become even more focused and pick up even more speed. The newly attained autonomy gives us additional entrepreneurial freedom. We will strengthen specific capabilities in key areas such as software and battery technology.

According to consulting firm Brand Finance, Porsche sits as the most valuable luxury brand in the world right now, and it looks to transition that reputation over into a complete lineup of new EVs to join the Taycan. According to the Group’s latest production timeline, that will begin with the all-electric Macan in 2024, followed by the aforementioned 718 by mid-decade.

Next will come a fourth generation, EV version of Porsche’s larger Cayenne SUV, followed by the entirely new “K1” SUV, positioned at a price point above all its other large EVs. Porsche shared that the new model will offer strong performance and automated driving functions while atop the Group’s SSP sport EV platform. With the new chassis, Porsche is also promising on-road performance and range combined with off-road capabilities in some models.

Looking ahead, Porsche is still working to reach a net carbon neutral value chain for its vehicles by 2030, including a net carbon neutral use phase for the BEV models mentioned above. The group also began researching and developing e-fuels at a pilot plant with partners in Chile last year – a hot topic of debate in the EU as its commission has delayed a final vote to completely ban new sales of combustion vehicles by 2035. Porsche was one of the German automakers requesting guidance on the use of those fuels in the future before the vote is finalized.

Meschke states that Porsche expects an operating return on sales between 17-19% in 2023 based on projected sales revenue around 40-42 billion euros.

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What EV sales slump? Illinois’ EV sales outpace the nation by 4:1

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What EV sales slump? Illinois' EV sales outpace the nation by 4:1

Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.

Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.

Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)

What’s going on in Illinois?

File:Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker (33167937268).jpg
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker at the Chicago Auto Show; by Ray Cunningham.

While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.

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At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).

We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.

SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.

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XCMG launches XE215EV battery swap electric excavator ahead of bauma

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XCMG launches XE215EV battery swap electric excavator ahead of bauma

The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.

Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.

XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.

We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).

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XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?

Easy in, easy out

XCMG battery swap crane; via Etrucks New Zealand.

The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.

You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.

SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.

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Volvo shows off production PU500 battery energy storage system

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Volvo shows off production PU500 battery energy storage system

As “extreme” weather events become more commonplace, the demand for reliable and portable energy continues to rise. In response to that growing demand for dependable off-grid power, Volvo has developed the new PU500 Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) designed to take electrical power when it’s needed most.

Designed to be deployable in a number of environments at a moment’s notice, the Volvo Energy PU500 BESS is equipped with approximately 500 kWh of usable battery capacity (up to 540 kWh total). More than enough juice, in other words, to power a remote construction site, disaster response effort, or even a music festival – anything that needs access to reliable electricity beyond a grid connection.

That’s great, but what sets the PU500 apart from other battery storage solutions is its integrated 240 kW DC fast charger.

“With an integrated CCS2 charger, the PU500 is designed to work with all brands of electric equipment, trucks, and passenger cars,” says Niklas Thulin, Head of BESS Product Offer at Volvo Energy. “This ensures that no matter what type of electric vehicle or machinery you rely on, the PU500 can provide the power you need, making it a truly flexible solution for any grid constrained site or location.”

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The integrated charger in the PU500 has the impressive ability to charge a heavy equipment asset (be that an electric semi truck or something like a wheel loader) in under two hours. Its on-board capacity allows to fully recharge up to 3 electric HD trucks or 20 electric cars per day, making it an incredibly versatile disaster response asset.

Electrek’s Take

Stockholm progresses with electric construction site from Volvo CE
Electric job site; via Volvo CE.

As we often say over at The Heavy Equipment Podcast, “just because you’re working for the power company doesn’t mean you have power,” and there are hundreds of scenarios where the extra power provided by something like the new PU500 would be useful. Its ability to be palletized and easily moved or swapped out of a larger BESS array, too, just add to its flexibility.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo.

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