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Exclusive: Porsche’s electric heart beats in the Taycan’s Zuffenhausen factory

(Photo: Teslarati)

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Beside the red-bricked walls of Porsche’s headquarters at Zuffenhausen, an electric transformation is taking place. It is a transformation that echoes back to its earliest days, despite the company’s pedigree with the internal combustion engine. Tall, modern-looking buildings sit side-by-side with older factories and shops that have literally witnessed history. The faint sounds of heavy machinery are audible in the distance, a reminder that work in the historic site is ongoing.

“We’re building a factory within a factory within a city with residences close by, hardly any space, and this in high speed,” says Porsche representative of the project David Tryggvason, lightly pointing out that the timeframe of the project is very Porsche-like: Sporty.

Porsche is actively engaged in a massive construction project in its Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen site, roughly 120 miles from Frankfurt, with the company running full throttle as it prepares for the production of the Taycan. The result of these efforts could only be described as a rebirth of sorts, since the company that started with an electric car is now pushing itself to re-embrace all-electric vehicles, perhaps just as intended by its founder, Ferdinand Porsche, more than a hundred years ago.

Porsche’s Zuffenhausen site is located near residential and business areas. (Photo: Teslarati)

An electric transition

A lot is riding on the Porsche Taycan. During the company’s annual press conference, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board Lutz Meschke emphasized how all-electric vehicles like the Taycan and its lineup of hybrid cars are pertinent for the company’s future. In a statement, Meschke noted that by 2030, vehicles powered by an internal combustion engine would likely be the exception to the rule.

“One thing is clear: from 2030 onwards; there probably won’t be any vehicle model from Porsche without an electric variant. I actually presume that by 2025, we will have electrified significantly more than half of our entire model range. But the combustion engine will still be around in 2030. Our 911 will hopefully still be driving with them for a long time to come. Conventionally powered vehicles will at that point be the niche in our electric fleet,” he said.

Before it can produce a successful electric vehicle, Porsche needs to ensure that it has the facilities necessary to build a completely different type of car. The veteran automaker opted to construct several new facilities to accommodate the Taycan’s production, and it had to overcome numerous challenges to make the buildout possible. The Zuffenhausen site is a stone’s throw away from a residential neighborhood, and the site itself is split by a four-lane road. With space being scarce, Tryggvason notes that the company did the only thing it can do: it built up. Overall, building the Taycan is complex. Setting up the facility even more so. For the project manager, the challenges were worth it. “We believe in the product,” David said.

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One of Porsche’s buildings for vehicle production in Zuffenhausen. (Photo: Teslarati)

A high-stakes, collective effort

The company’s bet on the Taycan is evident in its investment for the vehicle and the actions of its own employees. Porsche is spending about 6 billion euros (around $6.81 billion) for the development of its electric mobility initiatives. Porsche Production 4.0, a campaign aimed at ushering in a new era of vehicle production, is also underway. Accelerating these developments is a deal that the carmaker struck with its employees, who agreed to forego a small part of their collective salary increase in exchange for their participation in the Taycan’s production and release.

David Tryggvason and Porsche Press Spokesman Jorg Walz later directed me to the roof of one of the new buildings, and I was able to get a pretty good view of the factory itself. They pointed out how the Taycan starts its life by having its electric motors, batteries, and axles assembled. The electric car’s body then gets put together, painted, and transported across a long conveyor system where it can go through final assembly and married to its electric drive unit.

A key to the successful production run of the Porsche Taycan is the company’s target of manufacturing the vehicle in a “smart, lean and green” manner. Examples of these include a flexi-line that uses automated guided vehicles for simpler assembly despite the expansive customization requests from Taycan buyers, optimizations in the use of resources and space, and an initiative to ensure that the entire production process of the all-electric car at Porsche’s Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen site is CO2-neutral. This is made possible through several programs such as the electrification of logistics vehicles, the use of waste heat in the paint shop, and a pilot trial that involves the adoption of nitrogen-absorbing facade surfaces, to name a few.

A render of the Taycan’s production line. (Credit: Porsche)

Race-bred batteries for a race-bred electric car

Not one to waste a rare opportunity to ask for details about the Taycan, I decided to ask a little about the electric car’s battery performance. Over the past year, several great electric vehicles were released by veteran carmakers such as Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz, but inasmuch as the machines themselves were impressive, their batteries left much to be desired. The I-PACE, for all its stunning interior and excellent design, is pretty much the electric equivalent of a gas guzzler. The Mercedes-Benz EQC seems to be the same.

Porsche uses pouch cells from LG Chem in the Taycan’s battery pack, which is expected to give the vehicle over 300 miles of range per charge under the NEDC standard. The company is aiming for ultra-fast 350 kW charging as well, thanks to its 800-volt technology, which was used first in Porsche’s LMP1 racecar 919 Hybrid. I asked how the Taycan’s battery holds up when charged continually with such a high rate of charge. Walz smiled and candidly stated “We’re very optimistic.”

After the annual press conference, I was able to sit in for an informal discussion of Porsche’s electrification with executive board member Detlev von Platen. The Porsche exec highlighted that the Taycan’s battery cells were closely developed by the company, thanks to its experience from its high-performance hybrid vehicles. Examples include the legendary Porsche 918 Spyder hypercar and the three-time Le Mans-winning Porsche 919 Hybrid racecar, both of which required some work in their batteries.

The Mission E sedan concept displayed in the Porsche Museum. (Photo: Teslarati)

“So we’re absolutely involved, deeply involved, in the development of the (Taycan’s battery) cells and the technology behind it. We haven’t started last year with the Taycan. We have worked since a long time already on battery technology from motorsport. Our prototypes like the 919 Hybrid was electrified. So I would say, in general terms, that we have started to work on battery technology at least ten years now,” Von Platen candidly said.

I was reminded of David Tryggvason’s overview of the Taycan’s components a couple of days before, when he remarked that some of the Porsche personnel who worked for the 918 Spyder hypercar also worked in the development of the Taycan. Upon hearing Von Platen’s description of Porsche’s work with batteries, I couldn’t help but agree with his point. Porsche has produced several iconic vehicles in the past, and the majority of them are powered by the internal combustion engine. Despite this, it is difficult to argue that the best cars the company has ever produced, such as the 919 Hybrid, are imbued with electric propulsion at their core. Beneath the roaring engines of the vehicles were electric motors and batteries that ultimately unlocked the cars’ real potential.

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Porsche’s first vehicle is an all-electric car. (Photo: Teslarati)

From the past to the future

An engineer at heart, Ferdinand Porsche started with an electric car at the end of the 19th century. He later dipped his feet in hybrid propulsion, before going ahead and gaining mastery of the internal combustion engine. From this perspective, the development of the Taycan feels like a homage to the company’s roots, and this is a big reason why Porsche is dead serious about the vehicle. In what appears to be a gesture to prove this, the Taycan is being built on the company’s most historic site, and it will be produced alongside the 911, a vehicle that can only be dubbed as the quintessential Porsche.

As I grabbed my travel gear and scurried to the remaining shuttle that was awaiting my presence, I looked back at Porsche’s headquarters one last time. There in the dark sky stood a marvel of orderliness in this ever-changing world. It was a moment that can only to be described as surreal, when the past breathes new life into the future. Seconds later, as I buckled myself down on the shuttle seat and gazed into a disappearing Zuffenhausen site, the sounds of whirring machinery and vehicles rolling off the factory floor can be heard in the distance. Beneath this orchestra of sounds were the rhythmic thumps of heavy equipment that continued to work tirelessly to build Taycan’s upcoming production facilities.

I couldn’t help but imagine that the sounds were representative of the electric heartbeat of a carmaker, coming to life once more.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Elon Musk

Tesla’s new Robotaxi geofence shape is an FU by Elon Musk to the competition

Maybe it’s all pareidolia. But maybe it’s not. After all, Tesla embraced the first geofence expansion for what it appeared to be.

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tesla austin robotaxi geofence and elon musk laugh from meme review

Tesla expanded its Robotaxi geofence in Austin once again early Sunday morning. The new shape seems to be somewhat of a proverbial, and potentially literal, middle finger to the competition.

If you thought the first expansion was a message to the competition and doubters of the company’s ride-hailing service, you probably will believe the second expansion is an even stronger gesture.

Tesla’s first expansion did not go unnoticed, as its shape was particularly recognizable. The company has always operated with a sense of humor, and it embraced what it did. Some, including me, took it as a message to competitors: We can expand in any direction, in any size, at any time. We’ll prove it.”

They picked a shape and went with it:

Tesla’s Robotaxi expansion wasn’t a joke, it was a warning to competitors

It is evident that Tesla is keeping its humor up to continue to show a few things. The first is that it really can expand in any direction it wants and that’s how it is choosing to show it.

The second, well, maybe it’s an edgier way to show doubters that it is really executing on Robotaxi:

Maybe it’s all pareidolia. But maybe it’s not. After all, Tesla embraced the first geofence expansion for what it appeared to be. This might be a similar occurrence, and it might be sending another message to the competition, critics, and doubters.

The expansion was a near-doubling of the geofence Tesla offered previously. After the initial geofence covered just about 20 square miles, Tesla was able to more than double it to 42 square miles with the first growth. This new geofence shape was just under double, and is about 80 square miles.

Tesla’s rapid expansion has impressed many, especially considering the service area has roughly doubled for the second time in well under two months. The Robotaxi service was first offered on June 22.

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Elon Musk

Tesla executes ‘a must’ with Musk as race to AI supremacy goes on: Wedbush

Dan Ives of Wedbush says Tesla made the right move getting Elon Musk his pay package.

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Steve Jurvetson, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) executed what Wedbush’s Dan Ives called “a must” this morning as it finalized a new pay package for its CEO Elon Musk.

The move helped give Musk his first meaningful compensation at Tesla since 2017, when the company offered a pay package that was based on performance and proven growth. That package was approved by shareholders on two separate occasions, but was denied to Musk both times by the Delaware Chancery Court.

On Monday, Tesla announced on X that it had created a new package that would give 96 million shares of restricted stock to Musk to compensate him for the “immense value generated for Tesla and all our shareholders.”

The details of the pay package are designed to retain Musk, who has voiced some concerns about his control of Tesla, as “activist shareholders” have used lawsuits to disrupt the previously approved package.

You can read all the details of it here:

Tesla rewards CEO Elon Musk with massive, restricted stock package

Ives says Musk’s retention is ‘a must’

Ives said in a note to investors on Monday that with the raging AI talent war that Tesla made a smart move by doing what it could to retain Musk.

He wrote:

“With the AI talent war now fully underway across Big Tech, we believe this was a strategic move to keep TSLA’s top asset, Musk, would stay focused at the company with his priority being to bolster the company’s growth strategy over the coming years. With this interim award increasing Musk’s voting rights upon this grant, which Musk honed in on and mentioned was increasingly important to incentivize him to stay focused on the matters at hand, this was a strategic move by the Board to solidify Musk as CEO of Tesla over the coming years with this framework for Musk’s pay package and greater voting control removing a major overhang on the story.”

He went on to say:

“While the groundwork is now in place for the next few years, it will be critical for the Tesla Board of Directors to get this long-term compensation strategy in place prior to the company’s November 6th shareholder meeting which would address the elephant in the room and remove a significant overhang on the stock.”

Wedbush maintained its Outperform rating and its $500 price target on the stock.

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Elon Musk

Tesla CEO Elon Musk reveals ideal timeline for insane self-driving feature

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has extremely optimistic expectations for Full Self-Driving progress by the end of 2025.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed his ideal timeline for what would likely be the most insane self-driving feature: the ability for drivers to play video games at the wheel.

There are a handful of videos out there of drivers already performing this task. Nobody using Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite should perform these activities, as the company maintains the system is not fully autonomous.

Drivers are responsible for the vehicle and should be prepared to take over.

Tesla has put a lot of faith in its development of Full Self-Driving and has made tremendous strides over the past few years. Capabilities have gotten more refined and accurate through various methods, including data collection and hardware improvements.

Tesla kicks Robotaxi geofence expansion into high gear in Austin

It has gotten so good that Tesla launched a Robotaxi platform in Austin, Texas, on June 22. Passengers can hop in the back of a Model Y and will be transported around the city in a confined geofence that is about 90 square miles in size. There is nobody in the driver’s seat, but there is a Safety Monitor in the passenger’s seat.

Tesla launched a similar experience in California’s Bay Area last week, but the company has placed the Safety Monitor in the driver’s seat for that region for the time being.

Eventually, Tesla will get to a point where no monitor is needed, and the vehicles will be able to drive themselves. Many believe that it is a few years away, but Musk believes Tesla could achieve it very soon.

After a video of someone playing Grand Theft Auto in their Cybertruck while operating Full Self-Driving was shared on the social media platform X, Musk said this capability would be available in “probably 3 to 6 months, depending on regulatory approval in your city and state.”

It is important to remember that Musk has been very optimistic regarding autonomy timelines with Tesla projects. We heard for many years that the company would have self-driving vehicles “by the end of the year,” and those projects did not come to fruition.

While there was progress, there were no fully autonomous vehicles or software versions for customers.

With that being said, Tesla has made tremendous strides in its quest for autonomous vehicles this year, and launching a Robotaxi platform was a huge step in the right direction.

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