As it turns out, the same problems that plague the mythical Porsche 911 EV hit the 718 hard as well.
by Robert Moore, on LISTEN 03:52It was early March when we discussed whether or not there was a case for an electric Porsche 911 and, ultimately, why it’s going to be the last in the lineup to go electric. Part of the problem with the 911 is packaging, and the other part is weight. With the current 992-gen model, an eV powertrain just won’t fit. On top of that, battery technology hasn’t evolved enough. It might work for large sedans (nevermind the Taycan’s embarrassing range limitations,), but for most two-door sports cars, it just isn’t the right time to make the conversion. But, does the same hold true for the 718 Cayman and Boxster?
When Can I Buy an Electric Porsche 718?
If you thought that the electric 718 Prototypes prancing around were indicative of an official production model launch coming anytime soon, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but it’s not happening yet. In fact, it may not happen for another few years, if you can believe that. The truth is that batteries and, to a lesser extent, electric motors are still far too heavy for use in smaller two-door sports cars. So, while it may work for larger cars like the Porsche Taycan or the upcoming Macan EV, putting the same technology into cars like the 911 or, in this case, the 718, would, quite literally, ruin the cars we’ve grown to love.
See, sports cars – especially those that wear the iconic Porsche badge – must adhere to a specific formula. They have to be fast and feel fast. They need to be light and powerful too. Well, packing a heavy battery that offers any kind of real range into a car like the 718 or 911 would add excruciatingly painful amounts of weight. In short, Porsche just isn’t happy with the formula yet and refuses to compromise just to put an EV sports car on the market.
In an interview with Car Magazine, Porsche’s Research and Development Chief, Dr. Michael Steiner, said:
”We are running several electrified Boxsters to gain expertise and knowledge to see how an electric car performs as a two-door. But there is no final decision yet.”
While admitting that the Taycan felt true to the brand, he has to admit that maintaining the true nature of a Porsche in a small, two-door sports car is proving to be rather difficult.
The acoustic sound doesn’t really play that huge a role with a GT like the Taycan, and adding weight is ok. But the additional weight for a sports car, we are not satisfied with today. This is one of the reasons why our next electric car will be a small SUV, not a two-door sports car.”
Again, that “small SUV” that Dr. Steiner is referring to is the next-gen Porsche Macan which, to cover all bases, will be produced next to the current-gen model. The current-gen model, by the way, will be facelifted to look rather similar to the new EV Macan – a strategy that will allow consumers to make the switch to EV if they like or stick with what they know and are comfortable with. It won’t be this way forever, but it should help ease the transition.
With this in mind, we’ll leave you with one other tidbit of information. During his interview, Dr. Steiner mentioned that despite the 2.3-percent improvement in lithium-ion battery development that he’s “still not happy with the weight, though. But that does not mean there won’t be a sports car.” We know that it won’t be the Porsche 911 or 718 anytime soon and, just recently, Porsche admitted that it won’t do an electric hypercar for a completely different set of reasons. So, what does he really mean when he says that his unhappiness with battery weight doesn’t mean there won’t be a sports car? Well, maybe you should check out what else Porsche has in mind since it’s not doing the electric Hypercar!
Source: Car Magazine
