Like many a car brand these days, Porsche is going electric — mostly. We’ve seen their all-new electric sedan, the Taycan, which is already outselling the Panamera. Porsche’s most popular car, the Macan SUV, will convert to electric power for its next-generation in 2023. And the brand has dropped heavy hints that the entry-level 718 Cayman and Boxster sports cars would follow suit. Now, the sleuths over at Autocar have some new details about how that may happen.
According to their report, Porsche will design a new bespoke platform for the 718 Cayman and Boxster using an “e-core” layout. This platform would locate the batteries behind the driver and in front of the rear axle to mimic the weight distribution of a mid-engine car. Not using the common skateboard setup would permit the cabin to be lower, and reduce drag.
We may have already seen a preview of what the next-generation 718 Cayman and Boxster will look like: Porsche revealed an “ultra-compact” Mission R concept in September (seen above) that looked at the future of customer motorsport. Autocar suggests that the concept may show off proportions and design elements that could make their way to a production electric 718.
Building an EV from scratch and producing new electric SUVs will be one challenge. But a key challenge for Porsche — and one that may be on another order of difficulty — will be converting its sports cars like the 718 and 911. Raw performance won’t be enough. The electric sports cars will need to capture the feel, engagement and driving dynamics that are an imperative part of the Porsche sports car experience. And Porsche must do so in a way that doesn’t feel contrived or anachronistic. Cars like the 718 and, eventually, the 911 may require more time (and battery technology advancements) to electrify.
It’s not yet clear what Porsche’s timeline is for an electric 718 Cayman and Boxster. Car and Driver reported back in May that Porsche was working on a Boxster EV concept on a yet-to-be-announced platform. Though that concept has yet to emerge and there could be a significant lag between the concept and production versions.
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