The first Porsche was electric

The first vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche was actually an electric car. Back in 1898, he presented the Egger-Lohner electric vehicle, C.2 Phaeton model, better known as the P1. According to Porsche, it was the first design created by Ferdinand Porsche and one of the first vehicles registered in Austria. That makes this a very good reminder that electric cars are not a new idea, and neither is Porsche’s connection to them.

So, what exactly was the P1?

The P1 was an electric vehicle created at a time when the car itself was still a very young idea. Porsche says Ferdinand Porsche designed and built it in 1898, and that the car later became known informally as the “P1” because Porsche marked key components with that code.

It looked more like a carriage than a modern car, which makes sense. At the time, many early cars still borrowed heavily from carriage design. But under that body was an electric drivetrain that already showed how far ahead Porsche was thinking.

Small by modern standards, impressive for its time

By today’s standards, the numbers sound modest. For its time, they were anything but. According to Porsche, the compact electric drive unit weighed just 130 kg and delivered 3 hp, rising to 5 hp in overcharge mode. That gave the car a top speed of 35 km/h, and Porsche says its range could reach 80 km.

It also had something quite practical about it. Porsche notes that the body could be adapted for summer and winter use, which shows that even then, the idea was not just technical experimentation. It was about making the vehicle useful too.

It did not just exist, it competed

This is the part that makes the story even better. In September 1899, the P1 took part in an electric vehicle competition in Berlin over a distance of 40 km. Ferdinand Porsche drove the car himself, with three passengers on board, and Porsche says he finished 18 minutes ahead of the next competitor. More than half of the vehicles failed to finish because of technical problems.

The P1 also performed best in the efficiency test, recording the lowest energy consumption in city traffic. So yes, the first Porsche was electric, and it was already winning things.

Why this is such a great EV fact

Today, people often think of EVs as the newest part of the car world. But Porsche’s own history tells a different story. Long before modern battery packs, high-speed charging and performance EVs, one of the world’s best-known sports car names was already linked to electric mobility.

That does not mean the P1 was the first electric car ever made. It was not. But it does mean one very fun thing is true: the first Porsche was electric.