Porsche has confirmed the technical details of the upcoming Porsche Macan EV electric vehicle, its first key entry into the electric SUV segment.
Antoon Janssen, powertrain manager for Porsche’s Macan line, told Autocar that they intend for the Macan electric car, based on the new Premium Electric Platform (PPE), to be the sportiest car in its class.
The Macan EV will be equipped with a pair of permanent magnet motors, located on the front and rear axles, respectively. The motors are similar to those used in the Porsche Taycan but have been extensively modified to improve power density and efficiency, with a new “double V” magnet layout and the use of silicon carbide to reduce switching losses in the motor’s pulse inverter, which means less power leakage. These improvements give the Macan EV a power output of 603bhp and over 996 Nm of torque.
Dominik Hartmann, chassis manager for the Macan EV, confirmed that the car will have a “high-performance rear axle” with the motor mounted as far back as possible. This results in a weight distribution of 48 percent at the front and 52 percent at the rear to maximize traction.
The Macan EV will also be the first to feature Porsche’s twin-valve dampers, which are said to be able to be adjusted independently by Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) to improve ride comfort. In addition, the suspension is lowered when the vehicle reaches a certain speed to improve the car’s aerodynamic profile and reduce energy consumption.
To improve maneuverability, the Macan EV increases the steering angle by 15 percent over the fuel model and adds rear-wheel steering up to 5.0 degrees (below 80 km/h). Top models will also feature an electronic locking differential mounted on the rear axle designed to improve its front and rear torque vectoring capability.
All Macan EV models will be powered by a 100kWh lithium-ion battery, the range of which is not provided by the company; for reference, the Taycan model with a 93kWh battery pack has a range of 314 miles (approximately 505.33 km). Thanks to the Macan EV’s 800V high-voltage PPE platform, it has a maximum charge rate of more than 270kW.
Delivery of the Macan EV is currently scheduled for 2024. The car was originally scheduled for delivery next year but was delayed due to development difficulties with Cariad, the software division of the Volkswagen Group. A new Panamera electric car is also set to launch in 2026 and is said to be slightly larger than the current Taycan, which itself will see its second generation the following year. Porsche is aiming for electric cars to account for 50 percent of its global sales by 2025 and 80 percent by 2030.
