Batteries, Porsche files Cellforce: in-house research, production to global partners

Porsche is moving towards the closure of Cellforce, a subsidiary producing high-performance batteries, putting some 200 jobs at risk. The local employment agency has already been informed about the collective redundancies and, according to sources close to the dossier, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has informed the Baden-Württemberg government. The factory had been built with public funds, but according to 'Der Spiegel' the German sports and luxury car manufacturer is preparing for write-downs of around 295 million. The employees were called to a meeting on 25 August, in the presence of development manager Michael Steiner.

The news represents a half-step backwards in the Stuttgart-based brand's electrification strategy. Cellforce was set up in 2020 as a joint venture with the start-up Customcells, later taken over 100 per cent by Porsche in 2023, with the aim of developing next-generation, energy-dense cells for both the electric sports and motorsport ranges. The project, included in the European Ipcei EuBatIn programme, had strong public support: around 70 per cent of the funds came from the federal government and 30 per cent from the state of Baden-Württemberg.

The idea was to build near Stuttgart an autonomous industrial capacity of up to 20 GWh per year with cells capable of ultra-fast recharging in less than 15 minutes. An ambitious project that, however, never got beyond the pilot phase. Rising costs, technical uncertainties and fierce competition from Asian manufacturers put Cellforce in a difficult position. At the same time, Porsche had to contend with the sharp drop in demand in China, the slowdown in the market for luxury electric vehicles and the impact of US tariffs, factors that prompted the group to cut its sales and profitability estimates for 2025.

The strategy, therefore, has been revised: Porsche has preferred to concentrate resources on its own centre of excellence, in Weissach, the heart of the brand's research and development, leaving large-scale production to external partners. Weissach, 25 km from Stuttgart, remains fully operational: innovative chemistries are developed here, batteries are tested under extreme conditions and advanced management software based on artificial intelligence is integrated. It is the laboratory where Porsche's DNA is preserved, with the aim of ensuring durability (over 15 years and 300,000 km), fast recharging and high performance.

In parallel, the German manufacturer strengthened its industrial alliances. It has invested in Group14 Technologies, a US start-up that produces silicon anode materials, and has taken over Varta E-Automotive, renamed V4Smart, which is developing next-generation round cells for not only automotive but also aerospace and industrial applications. In other words, the Zuffenhausen-based company is giving up on building its own 'in-house' gigafactory, but is not throwing in the towel on the battery ring: instead, it is relying on in-house research and selected suppliers, rationalising costs and diversifying its sources of supply. At this stage, this is what the evolution of the market demands.