Porsche made the headlines back in November 2020 with a series of secret concepts, one of which was this incredibly rad Renndienst Study. Featured in the “Porsche Unseen” book about 15 designs created between 2005 and 2019, the one-off proposed the wild idea of a fully electric minivan carrying the fabled crest.
When the zero-emissions people hauler from Zuffenhausen was originally unveiled, Porsche only released images of the avant-garde exterior. Fast forward to July 2021, the Renndienst Study is back to show off its minimalist interior with an unusual 1+2+3 seat layout featuring a central driver’s seat. Just to reiterate, this isn’t some wild third-party rendering as the electric van was developed in-house by Porsche.
Flanked by a pair of digital screens, the steering wheel is not necessary at all times as the electric van has been conceived with a highly advanced autonomous driving system. We honestly hope the days when self-driving Porsches will hit the streets are far away, but it looks as though the engineers are already thinking about a car that does all the “hard work.”
A closer look reveals the asymmetrical greenhouse as while the passenger side features a swoopy side glass, the driver side is completely blocked off in the same vein as a commercial panel van. The larger panoramic sunroof extends from front to rear to allow light to enter the cabin and create an airy feel for the driver and five passengers.
If we were to ignore the third row, the Renndienst Study’s cabin reminds us of the McLaren F1 or its modern-day equivalent, the Speedtail. The two bucket seats behind the driver accentuate the unique creation is still very much a Porsche despite being an electric van. The driver’s seat is also quite special as it swivels 180 degrees when the fully autonomous driving mode is activated.
It goes without saying there are no plans to put the concept into production, but Porsche apparently wants to give the Renndienst Study a “soul.” That’s a bit of a vague statement, although we’re getting the impression the German high-end marque is talking about turning it into a working prototype with an electric motor.
Source: Porsche
