Porsche has announced an electric sports car will sit alongside combustion versions later in the decade
As part of its electrification strategy, Porsche has confirmed that its next Boxster and Cayman – both of which will be electric – will debut “in the middle of the decade”.
But it’s unlikely to be the end of the combustion mid-engined sports car as we know it – a model range currently powered by turbocharged flat-four engines and naturally-aspirated flat sixes.
The next Boxster and Cayman will use for the first time a fully-electric powertrain and will ride on the PPE platform that also underpins cars such as the upcoming electric Porsche Macan SUV.
The Porsche 718 GT4 E Performance concept gives us an idea of what’s to come
Details on powertrain specifics and battery sizes are still very much under wraps, but if we look at the battery pack fitted to the Mission R prototype that debuted in 2021, it’s likely that the electric Boxster and Cayman could use a 80kWh battery pack.
Unlike most electric cars, the future electric Porsche sports car could use a stacked battery layout behind the driver called ‘e-core’ to provide a lower driving position and better overall weight balance.
Will a petrol-powered electric Boxster and Cayman exist alongside the electric version?
Both combustion and electric Caymans and Boxsters will be sold at the same time
Along with a new electric version, Porsche’s chief executive officer Oliver Blume said that there will be a combustion-engined option that will be sold in parallel, just like the Macan.
Currently, the base 718 Cayman uses a 220kW/380Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged flat-four engine, while the flagship Cayman GT4 RS comes with a 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated flat-six engine that produces 368kW/450Nm.
This is the first time that a 911 GT3 engine has been planted in the Cayman bodystyle. It’s uncertain whether or not the next flagship Cayman will be electric or combustion powered.
The current petrol-powered Porsche 718 Cayman 4.0 GTS
Will the Porsche 911 be going electric, too?
Porsche is not completely set on entirely electrifying the 911 in the near future.
The iconic Porsche 911 could be going hybrid in the coming years
However, an earlier Chasing Cars report confirmed that Porsche would build a hybrid version of the 911, but not a fully-electric one.
The system likely to be used in the hybrid 911 is a self-charging, series-parallel setup, however the brand still remains quiet about the 911’s future.
Keyword: Porsche 718 electric: Cayman and Boxster EV duo to debut by “mid-decade”