ICE Boxster/Cayman will return!!

[Gino]

Interesting u-turn and creativity with the PPE platform

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/next-gen-porsche-718-evs-being-reworked-petrol-power

I had a 2000 Boxster until 2021 when I got t-boned. I miss having an ICE convertible now that I have my 2021 Taycan RWD but I’ll likely buy a 911 convertible CPO unless a Boxster ICE CPO catches my attention.

Sponsored

 

[W1NGE]

I would think that a hybrid setup simiiar to the new 911 GTS would make sense and get then halfway to full electric. For now, I have given up on availability of the Cayman E any time soon.
My dealer says it will be the end of the decade before it's on the road, so as an interim move, I just ordered a 2026 911S to replace my '09 997.2S. With 100k miles on it, I am ready to move on.

This doesn't provide drive per se nor can it be charged. More an aid than anything else clever as it is.

 

[Sly_North]

Because it's the only design anyone brought to production so far.

No, the Venturi Fetish then the Tesla Roadster had their batteries behind the driver, where an ICE would have been.

 

[chun]

No, the Venturi Fetish then the Tesla Roadster had their batteries behind the driver, where an ICE would have been.

While true, both of those are closer to concept cars/kit cars than to production cars, especially for the Venturi.
The battery location was a consequence of the existing car chassis, and not intentional design.

Comparing those 2 to current EVs / EV platforms, and claiming "Skateboard design is clearly better" would be a bit of a stretch in my opinion.

 

[babylou66]

This also seemingly confirms that they abandoned plans to have the battery pack behind the seats for the EV version, to give it a mid engine sports car feel, which they had massive problems making work and literally bankrupted their battery provider.

It seems to be going back to battery in the floor, same as all EVs currently mass manufactured. This pretty much leaves the SSC SC-01 to be the only EV with a mid mounted battery delivering that sporty drive.

A skateboard platform with rear motor has a lowest possible CG and polar moment of inertia compared to ICE. The weaknesses are ~10% greater mass and the seating position will be about 100mm higher.

In about 5 years the calculus will change again because the next step in batteries will be both ~40% more compact and lighter. That means skateboard chassis will die and the vehicles will be lighter than ICE while have the lower seat position ICE provides.

ICE's days are numbered.

 

[DerekS]

ICE's days are numbered.

I sure hope so, but there are a lot of forces at work right now trying to keep it from dying.

 

[babylou66]

I sure hope so, but there are a lot of forces at work right now trying to keep it from dying.

None of the anti-EV forces are science. EV's will be lower cost versus ICE within 7 years. Most people will have been exposed to EV convenience and performance by then. As EV market share share grows ICE production cost will increase. The ICE collapse will then be rapid.

 

[Vercingetorix]

 

[Gino]

None of the anti-EV forces are science. EV's will be lower cost versus ICE within 7 years. Most people will have been exposed to EV convenience and performance by then. As EV market share share grows ICE production cost will increase. The ICE collapse will then be rapid.

The only thing I worry about is once EV adoption is measurably higher than ICE vehicles then the cost for electricity will rise to be comparable between EV miles/kwh & gas miles/gallon.

 

[DerekS]

The only thing I worry about is once EV adoption is measurably higher than ICE vehicles then the cost for electricity will rise to be comparable between EV miles/kwh & gas miles/gallon.

Can confirm. California has very high EV adoption rates, and the electricity rates are astronomical.
Something like 5x-6x what we paid in Texas.

I look for charging deals where I can find them and avoid charging at home.

 

[babylou66]

The costs can come down. Almost 100% of new electrical capacity in Texas, my home, is wind and solar. The only reason for this dominance is renewable is simply the lowest cost to produce....even in Texas where we produce immense amounts of natural gas that we export throughout the USA, Europe and Asia.

California costs are not related to EV demand. California is simply a more expensive area to operate due to many factors. If 100% of USA autos were EV that would represent about 10% of the electrical demand. Research it!

The jig is up for the Oil & Gas industry. This is where I created my wealth but the writing is on the wall. One of my businesses is 100% O&G and will die along with ICE. My other business is 80% O&G but is actively pivoting.

 

[69Mach390]

Hope springs eternal...maybe first gen Tacans will even become collectable.

About as collectible as an iPhone 5.

Electronics are rarely collectible because the tech just ends up being outdated and the costs to repair astronomical.

 

[Gino]

The costs can come down. Almost 100% of new electrical capacity in Texas, my home, is wind and solar. The only reason for this dominance is renewable is simply the lowest cost to produce....even in Texas where we produce immense amounts of natural gas that we export throughout the USA, Europe and Asia.

California costs are not related to EV demand. California is simply a more expensive area to operate due to many factors. If 100% of USA autos were EV that would represent about 10% of the electrical demand. Research it!

The jig is up for the Oil & Gas industry. This is where I created my wealth but the writing is on the wall. One of my businesses is 100% O&G and will die along with ICE. My other business is 80% O&G but is actively pivoting.

I remember back in the mid 1970s in New England when oil & gas prices skyrocketed so the big push by many was to convert from oil heat to natural gas which was plentiful & cheap. My father didn’t take the bait. I asked him why he didn’t upgrade from oil to LNG since the payback was only 7-10 years.
He told me the cheap LNG prices the ROI was based on wouldn’t last. Once the cost per BTU equivalent to oil became the standard price moving forward based on energy supplier’s selling at what the market would bear the ROI would be 10-15 years.
By the late 1970s the price of LNG doubled so switching to LNG would have been a bad investment.
The same thing eventually will happen with electricity rates but alternative energy sources like wind & solar make it more difficult for energy producers using oil & gas to drive up energy prices but they can for anyone who is locked into the use of oil & gas alone in the vehicles, homes & businesses.
In California it costs me 40 cents/mile to drive my H2, 20 cents/mile to drive my ICE Porsche and 10 cents/mile to drive my Taycan charged at home.
If I charge my Taycan at EA or Tesla chargers it costs me 20-30 cents/mile which is not a good deal at 48 cents to 64 cents per kWh.
These charging rates will come down as more competition enters the EV charging space like Costco, Sam’s Club and others who aren’t taking advantage of consumers as many of the free charging incentives have gone away.
In the end, electrifying everything allows consumers to choose where their electricity comes from. Most consumer’s & business’s have the ability to choose their source of electricity. The bigger user you are especially industrial users, you can negotiate volume power rates which are 50-75% cheaper than residential rates. The cheaper solar & wind become the more negotiating power businesses have.
If oil & gas continues to rise they will be used as boutique fuels no different than the electric light bulb replacing candles as general lighting or digital photography replacing film almost exclusively even for professionals.
Will electricity rates rise across the US? Certainly, but not with the wild swings oil & gas companies charge due to forces outside of our control internationally. I will keep my Taycan forever. I will keep my H2, gas guzzler forever. I will keep my Airstream Sprinter diesel forever and I’ll replace my Boxster (ICE) that got totaled a few years back with another Boxster or 911 convertible to complete my basic collection of driving capabilities.
I’m too old now but I would add several motorcycles, boats, ATVs, etc if I was back in my 30s/40s.
EV incentives are gone but EVs are here to stay for those smart enough to do the math…

 

[JackSparrow]

About as collectible as an iPhone 5.

Electronics are rarely collectible because the tech just ends up being outdated and the costs to repair astronomical.

https://petapixel.com/2023/07/18/unopened-first-generation-iphone-sells-for-190000/

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2011-tesla-roadster-13/

2025 - 270 Turbo GTs sold in US - So these are very unique models.

 

[Fish Fingers]

Porsche strategy on EVs makes me think of the person who bought big into the stockmarket at the top of the boom and is now going to sell up, just as its bottoming out.

Sponsored