Electric Macan won’t launch until 2024; We’ve already driven it: Prototype driving with Porsche’s second electric car

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Porsche wants to go electric as quickly as possible: Within the next two years, half of all sales of the German sports car maker will be electric cars, and by 2030 more than 80 percent of new Porsche registrations will be battery electric cars.

The sports car Taycan was Porsche’s first electric car. The new all-electric generation of the Macan is based on the same platform and forms the new core of the model portfolio. We have already had the opportunity to try the new compact electric car, which is still slightly camouflaged.

Same platform, different services

The J1 platform and 800 volt PPE architecture on which the Taycan and Audi E-tron GT are based were developed together with Audi. The VW subsidiary is launching its Q6 E-tron on much the same platform as Porsche launching its new Macan generation. However, it leaves both brands with many options in terms of platform, wheelbase, performance and ground clearance.

The top model of the new Macan EV comes with a powertrain of 450 kW (612 hp) and more than 1000 Nm. The Audi Q6 E-Tron isn’t supposed to have this much power; A certain distance of respect needs to be maintained towards the athlete brothers in the group. With this performance, the top model of the Macan accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in less than four seconds, and the top speed is limited only beyond 250 km/h.

With its 100 kWh battery, it is expected to have a range of more than 500 kilometers until the next charging stop. The battery can be recharged here with a maximum charging capacity of 270 kilowatts.

True Porsche DNA

While the Audi and Porsche teams developed together for the first three years, they are now entering the final testing phase of the final prototype coordination on their own: “As the Porsche brand, we must ensure that our vehicles provide the best grip on the road. market,” says Ingo Albers, responsible for chassis development.

The new two-valve shock absorber is intended to ensure that the coordination in individual driving modes is more clearly different from each other. Thanks to the air suspension, ground clearance can also be adjusted; slightly higher for greater comfort, slightly lower for better aerodynamics and therefore greater range. Rear axle steering is now available in the new electric Macan.

During its first test drives along the California coast, the new Macan particularly impressed with its rapid pace: it steers precisely and quickly even in the tightest of bends, and the yaw control works perfectly. All these dynamics are achieved thanks to the low center of gravity thanks to the battery in the underbody, without additional active roll stabilization.

But not so quietly

Are electric cars quiet and sometimes make unearthly sounds? Not the new Macan: “As Porsche, we prefer to recreate the sound of a sports car rather than a space shuttle. “We didn’t end up like this because we flew to the moon,” explains Michael Klaus, responsible for acoustics. The compact SUV is similar to the Taycan: with plenty of bass and masculine frequencies.

It would be difficult to maintain the Macan’s current status as the best-selling, electric-only Porsche. Therefore, the existing petrol version based on the Audi Q5 will continue to be offered in parallel. However, our work on the electric Macan’s prototype shows that it is almost ready to be launched in the first half of next year. Porsche did not want to reveal further technical details or even sales prices to us during our preliminary review. But we’re pretty sure the new electric Macan will rank above its combustion-engine counterpart, which can currently be purchased for 79,600 francs.

Source: Blick