Porsche Opens Zuffenhausen Factory for All-Electric Taycan

German automakers whose entire reputations – especially in expensive segments – are built on technology and they are struggling to catch up with Toyota and Lexus on hybrid models and have few EV entries thus far. European Regulations are forcing the issue.

Porsche has opened the new factory for the Taycan in front of 320 guests from politics, business and media. “We have a level of responsibility for the environment and society. Production of the Taycan is already carbon-neutral. Heritage meets the future at our parent plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, which is the heart of the brand,” said Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG.

The brand’s first all-electric sports car was revealed less than 48 months ago with the debut of the Mission E concept vehicle at the IAA motor show in 2015 and the start of production for the first Taycan customer vehicles. “The investment by Porsche sends out a strong message about Stuttgart. Where others just talk, Porsche acts,” said Fritz Kuhn, Mayor of Stuttgart not without self-interest. (Porsche Claims 20,000 Potential Taycan Buyers)

German automakers whose entire reputations – especially in expensive segments – are built on technology and they are struggling to catch up with Toyota on hybrids and have few EV entries thus far. Add in the emerging threats of Apple and Google in the auto business and the Dieselgate fiasco and there’s a case to be made that the Germans are playing defense. (Watt? Pure EV Porsche Crossover Ready for Serial Production)

The new Zuffenhausen production facility  is said to sets new standards in terms of energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. “We are committed to the climate protection targets agreed in Paris in December 2015 and have a clear responsibility to cut environmentally harmful emissions. However, our sustainability strategy goes much further than de-carbonization,” says Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board for Production and Logistics of Porsche AG. “Porsche is pursuing the goal of a Zero Impact Factory – production without any negative impact on the environment.”

Electromobility Creates New Jobs

The Taycan heralds a new era in automotive production. Production is networked and flexible. Porsche uses automated guided vehicle systems instead of traditional conveyor belts to transport components and vehicles from station to station. “We call our journey into this new era Porsche Production 4.0. We are using state-of-the-art technologies to network the digital world with the mechanical world,” says Albrecht Reimold. “The focus at Porsche is still on people. Porsche employees are an integral part of the project. After all, we produce vehicles by people for people.” (Taycan Jobs at Porsche Exceeds 30,000 – depending how you tally them.)

Production of the Porsche Taycan will see 1,500 new jobs created at the Zuffenhausen site, demonstrating that electromobility is generating employment at Porsche. While constructing the new factory and preparing for production, Porsche has also implemented an unprecedented training program to familiarize all employees with the unique features of electromobility.

In total, the company is set to invest more than six billion euros in electromobility by 2022. The company has invested a total of 700 million euros in the new production facilities alone, one billion including the new body shop, which will also be used for the current generation of the Porsche 911. The new factory complements production of two-seater sports cars – 250 vehicles from the 911 and 718 series roll off the assembly line every day at the historic Zuffenhausen site.