Porsche is ramping up its electric car developments by assessing an all-electric prototype Cayman. Now, don't get over-excited here - the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance that's just now hitting the track IS NOT the actual all-new electric Boxster and Cayman that's due on sale in a few years. But bits of it should be...
1,000hp electric heart
Actually, the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance is a car we've seen before, in concept form. At the 2021 IAA German motor show in Munich, Porsche showed off the Mission R concept, a compact and sleek racer with a 1,000hp electric heart. The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance is a road-going testbed for that technology, some, none, or all of which will bleed through to Porsche's racing and road cars in the next few years.
So, like the Mission R, the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance gets two electric motors for four-wheel drive (in Porsche-speak, they're permanently excited synchronous machine - PESM - motors) and a total of 1,088hp if you turn the boost all the way up. Although it's based on a Cayman, the bodywork is some 140mm wider than a production model's, and Porsche says that it has designed some 6,000 parts from scratch. The body is made of natural fibre composite materials, among others, with the production intended to generate fewer emissions than the production of comparable synthetic materials. Recycled carbon fibres are also used for testing purposes. There are big, flared arched for the 18-inch racing wheels and tyres, too.
15-minute charging
The idea is that max power is available for short bursts, with a more sensible 612hp available for up to 30 minutes, or the length of a current Porsche Carrera Cup race. In terms of lap times and top speed, the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance is on par with the performance of the current 992-generation 911 GT3 Cup. Its battery is fast, too - with 900-volt charging, you can go from five to 80 per cent charged in just 15 minutes. Cooling has been something of an issue for the Cayman ePerformance - "The integration of oil cooling has significantly impacted the vehicle concept," explains Björn Förster, GT4 ePerformance project manager. "With experts in the fields of aerodynamics and thermodynamics as well as high-voltage and bodywork specialists, the development team created an architecture to tap the full potential of the battery cells for the first time, since there is no thermal derating. In this way, the power output in racing mode remains constant for half an hour."
"With the Mission R, we've shown how Porsche envisages sustainable customer motor racing in the future. The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance now demonstrates that this vision works impressively on the racetrack," states Matthias Scholz, GT racing vehicle project manager. "We're very excited about the response because a one-make cup with electric racing cars would be an important addition to our existing customer racing programme."
Goodwood festival
Two cars have been built so far, and one will give the Cayman GT4 ePerformance its global debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June. In August, the electric Cayman will also take part in the 20th anniversary celebrations of Porsche's Leipzig factory in eastern Germany, running on the factory's 3.7-kilometre test circuit that features sections of world-famous racetracks. After that, the two cars will go on a world tour to promote Porsche's e-efforts.
"The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance blazes a trail to Porsche customer racing with electrically-powered racing cars. As a first step, we will unveil this concept to our global partners," says Oliver Schwab, Project Manager of the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance. "With drivers, teams, organisers, authorities and other interested parties, we're also gathering ideas for Porsche racing formats in the future."