As the Volkswagen Group shifts towards battery manufacturing, Porsche is carving out a new niche: battery cells for racing.
The automaker announced on Monday that it will invest a “high double-digit million amount” in a new corporate entity called Cellforce Group GmbH, which will produce high-performance battery cells as part of a joint venture between Porsche and the battery company Customcells.
“The battery cell is the combustion chamber of the future,” said Porsche President Oliver Blume in a statement. “This is how we shape the future of the sports car.”
The cells in question will use a new silicon anode, which Porsche claims will provide higher energy density than current mass-production cells by reducing internal resistance.
This battery chemistry will also better withstand high temperatures, making it more suitable for potential motorsport applications, according to Porsche. The new chemistry has not demonstrated its effectiveness in sub-zero temperatures, and it is unclear if it will have a comparable lifespan to current lithium-ion cells, but these are not crucial factors in racing, noted Porsche.
Porsche has stated that batteries remain too heavy for its smaller sports cars, so if it can achieve the necessary reliability, this new technology could offer some future solutions to that dilemma. It could also put the company in a good position if battery chemistry becomes an open area of development in motorsports. Porsche currently competes in Formula E, but the series requires all teams to use a specified battery.
The joint venture, in which Porsche has an 83.75% stake, is headquartered in Tübingen, Germany. A site for the battery factory has not been finalized, but it is scheduled to be near Porsche’s research and development center in Weissach, and the automaker’s headquarters in Zuffenhausen.
The VW Group as a whole has been pivoting to become a battery producer, with niche technologies including solid-state cells included in the shift. This includes ongoing investment in the startup QuantumScape, which has promised breakthroughs with its solid-state cells.
