Porsche CEO Michael Leiters has made it abundantly clear that “the 911 will never be electric,” but Zuffenhausen is taking the exact opposite approach with the 718. The Boxster and Cayman will return next year as electric sports cars. They’ve been a long time coming, having been announced more than four years ago. While most details remain under wraps, some juicy tidbits are gradually emerging.
The document prepared for investors touts an “innovative battery concept [that] preserves Porsche mid-engine character” and an “authentic sports car feeling thanks to low seating position.” Mind you, this is more than just marketing fluff. Instead of placing the battery beneath the floor, where it typically sits in an EV, Porsche’s engineers are mounting it behind the seats, in the space the combustion engine occupied in the discontinued gasoline-powered sports cars.
According to Automotive News, the battery pack consists of three modules arranged across two levels. And yes, they’re positioned where the four-cylinder or flat-six engine used to call home. Robert Meier, head of vehicle architecture, revealed that the electric 718 models will have 55.2 percent of their weight over the rear axle. That’s actually closer to the ideal 50:50 weight distribution than in the preceding model.
The battery’s placement also improves structural rigidity and makes it part of the vehicle’s crash structure. At the same time, placing the battery behind the seats should let occupants sit lower than they would in an EV with an underfloor pack. Of course, that doesn’t mean the electric 718 will be dynamically identical to its predecessor.
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