Porsche plans to establish a factory in Germany to manufacture battery cells for the brand’s forthcoming range of electric vehicles.
During a recent interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemiene Sonntagszeitung, Porsche chief executive Oliver Blume revealed that the plant will be built in the town of Tuebingen.
“Battery cells are a key technology for Germany’s automobile industry which we must also have in our own country,” he said.
As noted by Auto News, car manufacturers across Europe are looking to reduce their dependence on Asian manufacturers as they ramp up production of electric vehicles.
It is understood that Porsche will purchase EV batteries from the Volkswagen Group but also have its own high-performance battery cells more catered for Porsche’s own fleet of vehicles.
“But there will also be a segment for high-performance battery cells,” Blume added. “It’s a Porsche domain. Just as we developed high-performance internal combustion engines, we now want to be at the forefront of high-performance batteries.”
Read More: Porsche Developing High-Performance Battery Cells For Performance And Motorsport Applications
In March, Porsche confirmed that its own battery cells will use silicon anodes rather than graphite anodes. The company states these silicon anodes will allow its batteries to operate at higher temperatures. In fact, the cells will be able to operate comfortably at temperatures over 75 degrees Celsius (167° F) while normal cells operate most comfortably at 25° C (77° F) and struggle beyond 46° C (115° F).
The cell chemistry will also allow Porsche to create higher-density batteries with better energy recovery and faster charging.
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