Porsche has joined the growing list of automakers pledging to release an electric vehicle "in the future." The high-end carmaker is set to begin testing three electric Boxsters early next year, as part of the Electric Mobility Regional test in Stuttgart, Germany.
For those familiar with playing the OEM production calendar guessing game, the announcement follows familiar narrative: Carmaker develops plug-in version of one of their more popular models, alerts media of the fact that this vehicle will someday pave the way for a major electric vehicle release, then sends out a limited number of those vehicles to collect data on driver behavior and vehicle range. Many automakers have performed this script recently, but very little about a company's electric vehicle plans can be gleaned from the announcement of test cycles.
"We will definitely be offering an electric sports car in [the] future," Porsche CEO Michael Macht told Automobile Magazine. "But such a concept only makes sense if it offers performance and a cruising range comparable to that of a sports car today." In other words, Porsche would like to sell an EV, but only if they can be sure it will compete, and first they have to design one.
Even though Porsche hasn't exactly blazed any trails in the electric vehicle race yet, the carmaker has been active on the hybrid front—releasing the Cayenne and Panamera S hybrids—and is reportedly weighing the idea of producing its $630,000 Spyder plug-in hybrid supercar in the near future.
