And it's already testing this EV beast on track.
Porsche AGPorsche has not set a target date to go all-electric yet. But the brand expects around 80 percent of its sales to be EVs by 2030. We’ve seen significant milestones already, like the launch of the Taycan and the news that Porsche’s most popular car, the Macan SUV, will be going EV in the very near future.
The trickier part for Porsche, however, will be converting its classic sports cars like the 718 Boxster and Cayman and the iconic 911 to electric powertrains. Now, though, Porsche just offered us a preview of what that may look like with the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance race car — an actual vehicle that will be doing legitimate testing on track.
Porsche AG / hoch zwei Porsche AG
The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance can deliver up to 986 horsepower over a lap in qualification mode, as well as a peak output of about 1,088 hp. Porsche says the AWD race car can sustain a steady 603 hp for about 30 minutes of continuous racing — the length of a Porsche cup race. Lap times and top speed figures are on par with the current gas-powered 911 GT3 Cup race car.
Porsche’s 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance is capable of 900-volt charging, allowing a charge from 5-80 percent in about 15 minutes. The car also employs sustainable materials like natural fiber composites and recycled carbon fibers.
This race car is still very far from a production vehicle; it has 6,000 custom-made parts. And the eventual production vehicle will be optimized toward road use rather than track use. But motorsports is typically the cutting edge of automotive innovation, and things like even faster charging and using more sustainable materials to clean up emissions in the supply chain are details Porsche will all but certainly try to bring to road cars. The race car likely offers a visual preview of what the eventual production car will look like too.
Porsche says the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance will tour until mid-2024. We don’t yet know what will follow that, but it sounds from the release like Porsche is preparing to do EV customer racing, which could end up running alongside Porsche Super Cup (or replacing it) as a support series for Formula 1 — which Porsche joins in 2026. And there’s not much point in doing EV customer racing if it doesn’t promote a Porsche that’s on the road.
Keyword: Porsche Gave Us Our Best Taste Yet of Its Electric Sports Car Future