We know that the next-generation Boxster and Cayman will be electric, that’s a foregone conclusion. We’ve seen the preview with the Mission R concept (above). We’ve seen the electric Boxster prototypes out testing (below). And Porsche has pretty much said that is going to be the case, but hasn’t yet shown off the production-ready testing version of the Box/Cay electric like it has done with the Macan EV that has been delayed. It’s likely that the mid-engine Porsche will become a mid-mounted battery with options for rear wheel or all-wheel drive. We’re hoping to see the production version next year ahead of a 2024 launch for the 2025 model year, so there’s still time for Porsche to finalize the specification. What do you want from an electric Porsche sports car, more range and power or shorter range and lighter weight? I know where I stand, but let’s talk out the pros and cons.
Photo credit: SpiedBilde
We know that Mission R is taking everything to the extremes so Porsche can get some headlines with 1000-plus horsepower figures and track-ready stats. It’s unlikely that a street-going Boxster will be delivered with 429 horsepower on the front axle and 644 on the rear. We also know that in order to hit those power numbers the Mission R needed a massive 84 kWh battery, effectively similarly sized to the smaller battery option for the Taycan. Do we really want that much weight in a sports car? A base Taycan with the smaller battery is already a smidge over 4500 pounds, while the current Boxster is about 1500 pounds less. Can we accept an extra thousand pounds? I am going to say that’s unlikely. And for Porsche to get the base price of an electric Boxster to be similar to the current Boxster’s $65,500 MSRP, it’ll probably need to skimp on batteries and power.
An under-70k electric Boxster sounds like a pure winner in my eyes. There hasn’t been a reasonably affordable electric sports car since the original Tesla Roadster. So here comes the key question. How low of range are you willing to accept in order to keep the weight and sporty character of your Boxster alive? Ideally I’d like to see an electric Boxster under 3500 pounds, which means a fairly small battery. Honestly, when it comes to sports car driving, I’m not sure anything more than 150 miles of range is strictly necessary, but that’s probably going to be a difficult sell for Porsche in the current market, so I think we’ll see at least 200 miles of range from the little guy. If I could buy an electric Boxster for something like $67,500, with 70 kWh-ish of battery, and a single rear-drive motor making around 350 horsepower, I’d be perfectly happy. What about you? Do you need 400 miles of range? 600? Maybe you’d be fine with 100? Let’s talk it out.
View Comments (5)
I'd need about 250 miles or range where I live. Porsche I'm sure can accomplish this.
I can live with 200 miles of range in order to get to Sebring, track for the day and get back home. Fast chargers at tracks might be an option for smaller batteries. But what kind of range can we expect while putting in some laps?
If it’s a sports car we’re talking about, our typical club drive would be about 250 miles, including getting to the starting point. That’s 250 miles of spirited driving, so probably more than an electric Porsche will have, but both my 997 and Boxster will easily do that on a tank. If it’s a family car for trips, it’s 400 miles each way to see the kids, with no fast chargers along the way. My Macan will get over 500 miles to a tank of gas, so again, not interested in an electric car.
With new EV's averaging 300 miles range these days, I would expect an electric sport car to have at least 200 miles range to be practical. However, it really all depends on charging speed and geographic coverage of public chargers. Range can be less if the battery has capacity for high-speed charging (ie. 800V) and good availability of reliable public chargers. Hopefully we will see vast improvement in these areas by 2025 when the cars would launch.
For a sports car, get the weight right and work backwards with the range. Not the other way around.