Porsche is developing an electric 718 sports car for launch
around 2023, CAR reported
last week.
According to the British publication, the current 718 Boxster
and Cayman will soldier on until 2023, perhaps with an update, and then a
redesigned 718 will be introduced boasting hybrid and battery-electric options.
The latter is said to be coming with as much as 400 horsepower.
The report follows comments made by Porsche CEO Oliver Blume
in 2018 that an electric
718 was possible but the opposite was true for the 911.
He also said in March that any electric Porsche would have
to be based
on a dedicated EV platform, indicating that the electric 718 could be
the first
recipient of the SPE (Sports car Platform Electric) modular EV platform
mentioned at a Volkswagen Group investor presentation held in 2018.
This means the hybrid 718 will likely be based on an
upgraded version of the current 718's platform. Porsche is expected to follow a
similar strategy with
its electric Macan, by selling the zero-emission version alongside the
existing internal-combustion model.
The hybrid technology will likely be borrowed from the setup
being developed for hybrid versions of the new 992-generation 911. Essentially,
an electric motor-generator is integrated with the transmission. Both mild- and
plug-in hybrid setups could be on the table. In the case of the former, the
motor-generator would only aid the engine whereas in the latter the
motor-generator would be able to power the wheels alone for short distances
thanks to a bigger battery being fitted.
Note, Porsche rolled out an electric Boxster prototype as
early as 2011. Called
the Boxster E, the prototype was developed purely for research purposes and
came with a 29-kilowatt-hour battery and a single electric motor good for 240
hp.
The accelerated growth in demand for EVs in the premium
sector has caught many automakers by surprise, including Porsche. Only recently
the automaker was predicting that half its lineup could be electrified (hybrids
and EVs) by 2025, but now it's openly stating that half the lineup could be
made up of cars running solely on electricity by that date.
by Viknesh Vijayenthiran
http//:www.boscheuropean.com
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