In 2013, the German automaker got its hands on a four-door luxury sports sedan Tesla Model S and tore them to pieces. An industry insider in that country told us that the Model S was a huge shock to Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz – but perhaps even more so for Porsche, which has been wildly successful with the Panamera four-door sport, speed.
Porsche’s product group has been grappling with the arrival of an electric car, from a company that is highly unlikely, faster, smoother and as desirable as its main product. What’s more, that EV has attracted some of their most high-tech customers.
Prototype for Porsche Taycan, Mission E production
To their response, the electric Porsche Taycan due out in late 2020, is sleek, incredibly fast and the first production EV with an 800-volt battery pack. It was a sales success, with 100,000 units sold within three years. However, the transition to electric vehicles is accelerating, and Porsche has more electric vehicles to come. The first will be the Porsche Macan Electric 2024, PPE platform and related technology it was previewed last week at a press conference in Franciacorta, Italy.
Porsche Taycan – European Specs
That day included the chance to drive the current Taycan around the hilly, twisty roads of Lombardy, competing on par with local Fiat 500s and garbage trucks. The Taycan clearly has better acceleration and much more grip, but it’s a big car on very small roads. We spent a lot of time listening to close range alarms as we flew over steep rock walls just inches away.
Back in the boardroom, we asked Porsche executives what lessons they learned from the Taycan. Their responses were often conservative, but the briefings suggested a lot of knowledge gained between the Taycan and the electric Macan.
That Taycan was first shown off as a Porsche Mission E concept at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show and seven years is a long time for “electric time”. Here’s our summary of what Porsche has learned from the Taycan since then:
Charger Porsche Taycan
Battery is better than expected
“We have a very difficult learning curve, so we are quite cautious,” said Antoon Janssen, powertrain manager at Macan Electric. “But [Taycan] The battery is in better condition than we expected. So we can extend the charging time, temperature, etc.” That can be seen in the Macan Electric, which will only have a battery reserve of 2 to 4% on the 98 kilowatt-hours available capacity. its—a lower margin than the Taycan.
Porsche Taycan Turbo S 2020
800 volt battery is the right decision
Michael Steiner, a member of the R&D executive board, said earlier in the day there was still controversy over whether “800 volts is now considered the standard” for electric vehicles. However, Taycan’s 800-volt battery, which both reduces internal heat due to resistance, and allows for faster charging at 270 kilowatts or more, sets it apart in a few ways—and has been applied wholesale to Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture underpinning these upcoming products. Macan Electric and other models from Audi and Bentley.
Among other benefits, 800 volts promises an 80% recharge in just 20 to 25 minutes under the right circumstances. It’s a powerful enough fact that even GM has found a way to allow its larger Ultium-based EV models to charge at 800 volts despite the battery architecture operating at 400 volts. “In the future, 800 volts will be profitable,” says Steiner – suggesting the Taycan may not be able to achieve the lavish profits in Porsche’s history.
Porsche 356 1950 and Porsche Taycan Turbo S 2020
Increasing efficiency requires many small improvements
A key improvement from Taycan’s J1 platform to the all-electric Macan’s PPE architecture is better and more efficient cooling of the battery, motor, and power electronics. Porsche used silicon carbide, not silicon, in the rear axle power inverter. This proves to cut power loss and allows power switching at higher frequencies.
Powertrain manager Janssen summed it up: “We had a lot of little lessons” about where power is lost on the Taycan, which makes for a better Macan Electric when taken together. The range of the electric SUV, with just a slightly larger battery in a bulkier and less aerodynamic vehicle, will be “a lot more than the Taycan”.
Porsche Taycan 2021
Major software updates keep customers happy
Instead of making a series of smaller updates to the car’s operating software like Tesla did, Porsche chose to bundle a large group of changes into a single update, which it rolled out in June. past. More than 50% of the 75,000 Taycans on the road have received the update, despite the fact that it took almost a full day and required a dealer visit. (The Taycans built since then have new features loaded at the factory.)
Among the benefits is a increase the vehicle’s rating range by allowing the front engine to shut off completely at times when the rear engine alone would be enough to power the all-wheel-drive Taycan version.
PPE platform for the VW Group, developed by Porsche/Audi
To make a difference, electric cars must sell in bulk at a lower price
Porsche CEO Oliver Blume pledged in March that 80% of Porsche cars sold will run on batteries by 2030. At our press conference, several Porsche executives emphasized that commitment almost verbatim. Getting there will take a lot of EV sales, fast. The petrol Macan is currently the brand’s best-selling model, which appeals to young buyers new to the brand. It represents sales of 80,000 vehicles per year, more than double that of the amazingly successful Taycan—and its successor will become the second Porsche EV.
The Macan Electric will cost less than the Taycan when it launches in 2024 and will be followed by an all-electric sports car that will replace the current 718 Boxster and Cayman. The Macan, Boxster and Cayman are Porsche’s cheapest models and they will sell in large numbers—although Larger “sports” three-row electric luxury SUV also in the card, to increase the profit margin.
Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe 2021
Plug-in hybrid won’t last forever
The Taycan has given the sports car brand confidence that it can create a compelling Porsche powered by electricity. But ahead of Blume’s March pledge, Porsche’s goal is to have 80% of its sales in “electrified” vehicles by 2030. Electrification does not mean electricity; it means any vehicle with an electric motor somewhere in the powertrain, including old hybrid cars that simply don’t have a plug.
So his more recent promise — 80% of sales are battery-powered that same year — suggests that plug-in hybrids will be gone after this decade. However, there may be more in the short term. The other half of his pledge is that 50% of Porsche’s 2025 sales will be “electrified”, including PHEV versions of the Cayenne large SUV and the Panamera full-size luxury sedan. As noted when the latest 911 was launched, the rear-engined sports coupe and convertible will likely remain the last Porsche equipped with an internal combustion engine, at least until the 2030s. —but it will also have a regular hybrid versionand there may also be a PHEV variant.
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Porsche has provided airfare, accommodation and meals so that Green Car Reports can bring you this direct report.
