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As Porsche moves toward an electric future, the automaker aims to deliver the same margins with its EVs, if not more, than its ICE models. Porsche’s production manager Albrecht Reimold says the Taycan and Macan EVs are “on the right track” to achieve a comparable margin with its combustion engine models.

After its debut in 2019 as Porsche’s first all-electric model, the Taycan quickly emerged as one of its top-selling models.

Despite a six-week pause in production, Porsche Taycan deliveries totaled over 20K in its first year on the market, becoming its best-selling non-SUV in the US.

The following year, Porsche Taycan deliveries more than doubled to over 41K, outselling its renowned 911, Panamera, 718 Boxster, and 718 Cayman models. However, the sports carmaker ran into supply chain issues this past year, derailing the electric car’s momentum.

Taycan deliveries slipped 16% in 2022 to 34,801. The automaker attributed it to “supply chain bottlenecks and limited component availability,” particularly affecting the electric car.

The trend has continued, with only 9,151 Taycan deliveries in Q1 (-3% YOY) and another 8,840 in Q2, for a total of 17,991 through the first half of 2023 (-5% YOY).

Porsche-Taycan-EV-sales
Porsche Taycan Turbo (Source: Porsche)

In an interview with Automobilwoche, Reimold said, “It is true that we repeatedly had difficulties, especially with semiconductors.” He added, “That has stabilized and we are currently assuming that more units will leave the factory this year than in 2022.”

Porsche Taycan, Macan EV margins comparable with ICE

Reimold wants to increase Porche’s profit margin to 20% over the long term. Porsche’s return on sales was 18% in 2020 and 18.2% in the first three months of the year.

Porsche-Taycan-Macan-margins
Porsche Taycan (Source: Porsche)

To do so, the production boss says technical development will play a key role. Reimold said the automaker is working closely with each new model to produce it at a reasonable cost. He added:

It depends on every component and every screw that we don’t have to use in the end. On the other hand, we are constantly working on improving our processes and implementing new technologies that increase our efficiency.

Porsche aims to “achieve a sustainable margin that is comparable to that of our combustion engines.” Reimold said:

We are on the right track here with the Taycan and the future Macan.

Although the Taycan and Macan EVs are headed in the right direction, Porsche says it still has a few steps with its planned luxury electric SUV called “K1,” slated to sit above the all-electric Cayenne and Macan models.

The K1 electric SUV will be the first Porsche seven-seater poised to compete against ultrapremium brands like Lamborghini, Bentley, and Rolls-Royce.

Porsche-Taycan-Macan-margins
Dr. Michael Steiner, member of the executive board, research and development, at Porsche AG, in front of two camouflaged prototypes of the all-electric Macan (Source: Porsche)

Reimold claimed Porsche would “have to take a closer look at purely electric vehicles to see where we can become more efficient overall,” including batteries and utilizing digitalization to get the new SUV to where it wants.

Despite several automakers moving toward in-house production after Tesla, Porsche is sticking to its philosophy of having a lower level of vertical integration than others.

Reimold says he “will do everything with my colleagues” to ensure the Macan EV is delivered to customers in 2024. Following that will be the electric 718 in 2025, the Cayenne EV in 2026, and the new SUV slated to sit above the Cayenne in 2027. Porsche aims for over 80% of its sports cars to be purely electric by 2030.

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400 kW DC fast charging On The Run arrives in Canada – and it’s FREE!

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400 kW DC fast charging On The Run arrives in Canada – and it's FREE!

British Columbia got its first 400 kW DC fast charger last week at Canadian C-store chain On The Run, but that’s not the good part. As part of a limited time offer, these chargers are FREE!

The Canadian convenience store chain just took the wraps off its new, ABB-developed, 400 kW chargers earlier this month, but they’re already planning to bring the ultra-fast 400 kW dispensers to at least four more locations in BC this spring, and have them online just in time for the summer road trip season – something On The Run hopes its customers will appreciate.

“The A400 charger delivers an enhanced customer experience, with reliability and performance from a 32-inch screen to higher power charging sessions and power sharing,” reads the company’s official announcement, via LinkedIn. “Download the Journie Rewards app to start the charge – free for a limited time.”

On The Run’s new 400 kW ABB DC fast chargers are compatible with CCS and CHAdeMO plugs, and can accommodate Tesla and other NACS-equipped vehicles with an adapter. That said, the company seems to imply that Tesla drivers in particular will have a maximum charging speed of “just” 50 kW, which feel hilarious (given the current state of affairs between Tesla and the Canadian government), but probably isn’t.

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In addition to the ABB A400 400 kW units shown here, On The Run locations also employ the ABB Terra 184 dispensers rated at 180 kW. On The Run plans similar deployments at the four BC locations mentioned above, as well as two more each in Quebec and Ontario slated to go live towards the end of this year.

Electrek’s Take

Tesla’s controversial CEO Elon Musk once mocked 350 kW charging speed as being “for a child’s toy,” despite the fact that, nearly nine years later, his own cars and Superchargers can barely make it to 325 kW while others have sailed right on past. I made fun of that fact on the Quick Charge episode shown, above – and, while I do think it’s funny and relevant, the much more relevant piece of news here is that companies like BP Pulse, Revel, and Wallbox are actively deploying 400 kW solutions, today (while others hit the same mark as far back as 2017).

It’s just a fact: Tesla has fallen way behind.

SOURCE | IMAGES: On The Run, via Electric Autonomy.

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Terawatt opens its first electric charging truck stop in California

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Terawatt opens its first electric charging truck stop in California

Terawatt Infrastructure‘s first medium- and heavy-duty electric charging truck stop in California is now online, in Rancho Dominguez.

Located 12 miles north of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the private Rancho Dominguez site, which is shared among multiple fleets, will support electric trucking fleet operations in and out of the largest container ports in the US.

First customers include Dreaded Trucking, Hight Logistics, PepsiCo, Quick Container Drayage, Southern Counties Express, Tradelink Transport, and WestCoast Trucking & Warehousing.

Terawatt’s electric charging truck stop features 20 pull-through and bobtail DC fast charging stalls with a capacity of 7 megawatts (MW), enabling charging for up to 125 trucks per day using a simple reservations system. Terawatt’s site features a proprietary charge management system, in-house technicians, 24/7 customer service, and onsite parts management.

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“This launch underscores growing collaboration between enterprises, shippers, carriers, and charging infrastructure providers to advance sustainable technologies across logistics and transportation operations, especially in the medium and heavy-duty sectors,” said Neha Palmer, CEO and cofounder of Terawatt. Palmer added that the company will bring another charging site online in Rialto, California, in June.

Terawatt joined some of the world’s largest shippers and carriers in September 2024 to launch the I-10 Consortium heavy-duty EV operations pilot, the “first-ever US over-the-road electrified corridor.” Terawatt is providing charging infrastructure, including software, operations, and maintenance support at six of its owned charging hubs along the I-10 corridor.


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Trump admin halts $5 billion NY offshore wind project mid-build

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Trump admin halts  billion NY offshore wind project mid-build

In its most aggressive attack against offshore wind yet, the Trump administration halted the $5 billion Empire Wind 1, already under construction off New York’s coast.

Norwegian developer Equinor announced yesterday that it received notice from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) ordering Empire Wind 1 to halt all activities on the outer continental shelf until BOEM has completed its review. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum posted this tweet yesterday:

Burgum gave no indication of what insufficiencies there were in the approval process for the fully permitted offshore wind project, despite Trump’s recent declaration of a national energy emergency that speeds up permitting processes.

The commercial lease for the 810-megawatt (MW) Empire Wind 1’s federal offshore wind area was signed in March 2017 during the first Trump administration. It was approved by the Biden administration in November 2023 and began construction in 2024.

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The project is being developed under contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Empire Wind 1, which was due to come online in 2027, has the potential to power 500,000 New York homes.

“Halting construction of fully permitted energy projects is the literal opposite of an energy abundance agenda,” said American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet in a statement. “We encourage the administration to quickly address perceived inadequacies in the prior permit approvals so that this project can complete construction and bring much-needed power to the grid.”

As Electrek reported, Equinor secured $3 billion to finance Empire Wind 1 in January. The total amount drawn under the project finance term loan facility as of March 31 was around $1.5 billion. 

As of March 31, Empire Wind has a gross book value of around $2.5 billion, including South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (pictured above), which was expected to become the US’s largest dedicated port facility for offshore wind.

In response to BOEM’s stop work order, New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued the following statement:

Every single day, I’m working to make energy more affordable, reliable and abundant in New York and the federal government should be supporting those efforts rather than undermining them. Empire Wind 1 is already employing hundreds of New Yorkers, including 1,000 good-paying union jobs as part of a growing sector that has already spurred significant economic development and private investment throughout the state and beyond.

As Governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand. I will fight this every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy and New York’s economic future.

Equinor says it’s considering appealing BOEM’s order.


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