The Porsche Cayenne Electric prototype was much in evidence at the recent Valencia pre-season test and its relation to the Porsche 99X Electric raced by Pascal Wehrlein to the 2024 title and by the Porsche Formula E in last season’s manufacturer and teams’ championships is vividly evident.
Up to 850 kW of power, 0-100 km/h in 2.5 seconds up to 400 kW charging power and up to 642 kilometres of range makes this a formidable EV. Porsche is stating that this is ‘the most powerful production Porsche of all time’ – and at the same time more ‘versatile than ever: dynamic on the road, confident off-road and comfortable on long journeys.’
Manufacturers often talk about the relationship between the track and the road, and the Cayenne Electric is perhaps the most direct example and living proponent of this philosophy.
“In Formula E, efficiency is the difference between victory and defeat. This principle also shapes the Cayenne Electric,” says Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E and team principal of the factory Porsche Formula E team.
“Efficiency is not only the focus in terms of the vehicles themselves; the agile working methods proven in racing can also help to shorten development times and accelerate the transfer of technology.”
The heads of motorsport and automotive series development sit close together at Weissach, amplifying the exchange of knowledge between projects.
Practically the CCS (Combined Charging System) is probably the clearest area for technology transfer as the sockets and plugs of the Porsche 99X Electric and electric Porsche sports cars are the same.
Porsche also states that ‘recuperation significantly increases the efficiency of both vehicles. Energy recovered during braking is fed into the battery and can then be used again for propulsion. More recuperation therefore allows for longer ranges and ultimately smaller batteries – the key to greater performance for both sports and racing cars.
‘In Formula E, the amount of energy available is deliberately limited: the 99X Electric is allowed to start a race with a maximum of 38.5 kWh of usable energy in the battery. If it recovers more energy during braking than its competitors, it then has more energy available to push for the finish line.’
“The challenge of recuperation is highly complex,” adds Modlinger.
“When braking, we want to recover as much energy as possible while reducing speed as quickly as possible. Depending on brake pressure, we also engage the front wheel brakes. The car’s balance should match the driver’s preferences – it contributes to their confidence in the car and, as a consequence, to performance.
“On the road, it’s also a matter of driving safety. To bring all this together, a variety of software functions are active during braking — a huge area for potential knowledge transfer.
The Pit Boost Factor
Since the start of the Gen3Evo era in 2024, Formula E also introduced fast charging pit stops known as Pit Boosts.
This sees a 30-second charge with a capacity of 600 kW provide the battery of the Porsche 99X Electric with a 10 per cent energy boost. The Cayenne Electric is also designed for fast pit stops; it takes less than 16 minutes to charge its battery from a 10 to 80 per cent state of charge (SoC).
It’s not just in races that things get heated though as temperatures fluctuate greatly in everyday driving too.
Porsche’s philosophy is that high charging performance must be achieved even under adverse conditions across a wide SoC range. The DC charging power of the Cayenne is up to 400 kW. Fast charging is possible from a battery temperature of 15 degrees Celsius. Up to an SoC of about 55 per cent, the charging power is more than 350 kW – so the fast-charging processes are very robust. Within 10 minutes of charging at a suitable station, more than 300 km of range can be added.
The Recuperation Station
The Cayenne Electric also offers leading energy recovery figures, achieving Formula E levels with up to 600 kW of recuperative power. In everyday life, about 97 per cent of all braking operations can be handled purely by the electric motors.
The mechanical friction brakes rarely need to intervene. For the Cayenne Turbo, the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) is also available for this case, as an option.
The Cayenne Electric also owes much of its versatility to its chassis. Adaptive air suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) is fitted as standard on both models. The Turbo also features the Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) limited-slip rear differential. Both models can be equipped with rear-axle steering, which steers the rear wheels by up to five degrees. In addition, Porsche Active Ride is also available for the flagship model for the first time. The active suspension system, familiar from Porsche sports sedans and newly used on the Cayenne, almost completely compensates for body movements and ensures exceptional stability, dynamics and comfort.
The Cayenne Electric is also the first Porsche to optionally support inductive charging, where a system charges at up to 11 kW. All that Porsche Wireless Charging requires is for the user to park above a floor plate. The charging process then starts automatically.
For more on the Porsche Cayenne Electric click HERE
