[jimmuller]

Every so often someone in the 718Forum brings up the idea that the 718's may eventually go electric. I've been musing over what such a configuration would look like. I can't help but think it makes no sense. Not that Porsche isn't committed to electric vehicles. But the concept of "mid-engine" has no meaning for an electric vehicle in the same way it does for an ICE.

An ICE is necessarily a big block of metal with minimum dimensions and weight. You can't spread it out and put two cylinders in front and 2 in the rear. Granted a boxer style is flatter than an inline engine so its C.o.M. is low, but it's still a single heavy chunk of mass. Therefore you have to concentrate that mass somewhere in the car, and in the middle is the best place.

An electric vehicle has no such restrictions. The motors and batteries can be spread out or concentrated however you manage, packaged wherever you can make them fit. A true electric sports car will be designed with that in mind. The Taycan is such a car except that it is 4-door, multi-seated, and heavy. A sports car designed toward traditional sports car sensibilities may have its components distributed the same way. It may be a 2-seater, light as possible, and small like a 718. It may even be based on or similar to the current Cayman and Boxster coachwork. But the concept of "mid-engine" is moot. There is no engine. If Porsche can find a way to concentrate much of the mass in the middle like the 718, they sure wouldn't then design another electric sports car with the mass somewhere else. So when they do produce an electric sports car they can call it whatever they like but whether it is or isn't a Cayman or Boxster is just messin' with names for marketing's sake.

 

[roundtail]

+1

At 2-1/2 tons, the Taycan is about as far removed from the 356 as a car can get, while as much as is possible, the Boxster/Cayman follows its spirit. If Porsche has to resort to calling a new 2-seat version ”Cayman” in an attempt to keep the Porsche marque’s gravitas, I submit they’ll already have lost it. Just badge the thing as an Audi, and fold the brand into history.

 

[Westcoaster]

It will be a shared platform with whatever body they deem appropriate so other than the look, should they choose to make it look like any of the current 718's, it won't be anything like the car we know today.

Although in a completely different snack-bracket check out the Tesla Roadster V2 for what it could look like, nothing wrong with that car except for the price!

 

[DriveInHouston]

Well, you have to put the batteries and the storage (what we call trunk), somewhere. Putting the weight in the middle and low, is better than any... Removing the engine and putting the battery and a luggage room on top works for me. Not mid-engine, but mid-weight, low polar inertia sportscar! Yep, sounds like a Cayman (not in the true sense of sound), and it can look it too.

A four door/four seater has a different set of constraints and it ends up with a Tesla-like architecture (skateboard) which in itself is brilliant. Let's see the upcoming Roadster and where they put the batteries.

Another consideration which might spoil the recipe is a transitional period of hybrid 718h rather than pure electric e718.

The future will be strewn with surprises and I am eager to see them materialize.

 

[GTS18BGTS]

I can see pulling the ICE out of a Cayman/Boxster and replacing it with the batteries. Plenty of space for it. Now I wouldn't want an explosive pack of cells behind me, but that's for others to ponder.

 

[DriveInHouston]

No more of a danger than the flammable liquid in front of you! I guess some people want to go out in a blaze of glory...

 

[panasa]

My biggest concern with any such car is the weight.

Battery EVs, like the Taycan, are made big and heavy out of necessity. Acceptable range requires a big battery. Big batteries are heavy. A large part of the appeal of a sports car is its light weight. Given the current crop of EVs, if battery technology does not radically improve in the next 5 years, an electric Cayman will either be very heavy or have a very limited range. Neither one of these tradeoffs appeals to me. In comparison to other cars, it's the choice between being at least as heavy as a Nissan GT-R or having the range of a Nissan Leaf.

 

[GregW]

Heavy batteries may be on the way out.?

Researchers in Australia take key step toward battery of the future

An international team of researchers believe they have made a breakthrough that could extend the life of the batteries that power smartphones and electric cars.

www.theage.com.au

 

[don]

As mentioned above, if you look at the Telsler Roadster V2 an electric 718 could be very impressive. Instant torque and lower center of gravity.

I'd estimate the weight will be very similar to what it is now or maybe less given it may only have one or two electric motors which would seem the logical way forward rather than a 4wd version.

The only problem is Porsche will obviously have to handicap it and of course on a long drive day through alpine roads it may not have sufficient range and/or charging points available leaving you strandard, at least in our country.

 

[Westcoaster]

As mentioned above, if you look at the Telsler Roadster V2 an electric 718 could be very impressive. Instant torque and lower center of gravity.

I'd estimate the weight will be very similar to what it is now or maybe less given it may only have one or two electric motors which would seem the logical way forward rather than a 4wd version.

The only problem is Porsche will obviously have to handicap it and of course on a long drive day through alpine roads it may not have sufficient range and/or charging points available leaving you strandard, at least in our country.

My biggest concern about a possible 718 EV is not the range but the cost, a specialty High Performance 2 seater is a niche vehicle no matter what the power is, the Tesla Roadster V2 starts at $200K... I will not be lining up to order a 718 EV at anywhere near that price range!

 

[catcayman]

I cannot live without manual transmission. EV has no transmission though Tycan has 2 speed transmission... 718 is the best pick of Porsche for manual transmission lovers.

 

[don]

The Tesla Roadster V2 is more comparable to a GT3 or 911 GTS or Huracan category.

I can't see Porsche selling an electric 718 for a premium like the Taycan or other prestige sports cars. Tesla sells a model 3 for $40-50K US and it already outperforms a lot of sports cars. I'd say an electric 718 will be priced the same or less than a current 718 since it is already a difficult market to get people to buy into.

Having only one electric engine in the rear (ie., half a Taycan) will also reduce development and production costs.

 

[Westcoaster]

Agreed that the Tesla VR Roadster is hi-end, but I wouldn't compare a Model 3 to any 'sports car' that I can think of, sure it can go fast, but that is not what it is all about!

To say that a Tesla Model 3 "outperforms a lot of sports cars" is simply rubbish... the 718 is more about handling and road feel not 0-60 times and besides, my idea of a sports car is certainly not any 5 passenger sedan!

 

[DriveInHouston]

The Model 3 Performance has done some respectable laps for a family sedan. In Laguna Seca it has clocked 1:37.5 (to 1:47 for a different car with no suspension mods). Yeah it is not a GT2RS (1:28.3) but respectable IMHO

 

[don]

Agreed that the Tesla VR Roadster is hi-end, but I wouldn't compare a Model 3 to any 'sports car' that I can think of, sure it can go fast, but that is not what it is all about!

To say that a Tesla Model 3 "outperforms a lot of sports cars" is simply rubbish... the 718 is more about handling and road feel not 0-60 times and besides, my idea of a sports car is certainly not any 5 passenger sedan!

Yes, the Tesla VR is more hypercar territory.

I agree with what you are saying in principal but when it comes down to sheer numbers performance "in general" from best to worse in terms of sports cars is in the following order:

1. electric - best
2. hybrid
3. turbo charging
4. super charging
5. NA - worst

Also I hate to admit it but the top of the range Tesla Model 3 beats a lot of respectable performance sports cars in terms of both straight line speed and lap times:

Tesla Model 3 Performance specs, 0-60, quarter mile, lap times - FastestLaps.com

2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance specs, 0-60, quarter mile, lap times, price, top speed, engine specifications, pictures, updated December 2022.

fastestlaps.com

It is as fast as a 981 GT4 at Willow Springs so I'd say on par with a 718 S/GTS! Add more corners or a windy alpine road and things would change but nonetheless really impressive for a large heavy electric car. I think the ultra low center of gravity really helps as does the electric motors.

An electric cayman is going to be awesome! I just hope they don't restrict it too much.

 

[Lelandjt]

You could buy the cheapest Cayman chassis you find in good shape, send it to EV West in Los Angeles with a list of preferences, and let us know next month how well an electric Cayman works.
This is basically what I'm doing next year to replace my '99 Ranger in Hawaii with a '05-'11 electric converted Ranger. I'm not doing it with a Cayman on the Mainland because my range requirements there are much greater than on a little island.

 

[DriveInHouston]

An electric car and a Tesla or a Taycan are day and night difference. There are a lot of engineering and software that don’t meet the eye in the Teslas or Taycan, they are not high power golf carts!

 

[Westcoaster]

Yes, the Tesla VR is more hypercar territory.

I agree with what you are saying in principal but when it comes down to sheer numbers performance "in general" from best to worse in terms of sports cars is in the following order:

1. electric - best
2. hybrid
3. turbo charging
4. super charging
5. NA - worst

Also I hate to admit it but the top of the range Tesla Model 3 beats a lot of respectable performance sports cars in terms of both straight line speed and lap times:

Tesla Model 3 Performance specs, 0-60, quarter mile, lap times - FastestLaps.com

2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance specs, 0-60, quarter mile, lap times, price, top speed, engine specifications, pictures, updated December 2022.

fastestlaps.com

It is as fast as a 981 GT4 at Willow Springs so I'd say on par with a 718 S/GTS! Add more corners or a windy alpine road and things would change but nonetheless really impressive for a large heavy electric car. I think the ultra low center of gravity really helps as does the electric motors.

An electric cayman is going to be awesome! I just hope they don't restrict it too much.

We'll have to agree to disagree, see below...

The Model 3 Performance has done some respectable laps for a family sedan. In Laguna Seca it has clocked 1:37.5 (to 1:47 for a different car with no suspension mods). Yeah it is not a GT2RS (1:28.3) but respectable IMHO

There you guys go again, quoting numbers, if that is your measure have at it, I am not interested in that at all, to me it's like saying my beer is stronger than yours, or this wine is 14% yours is only 12%... Each of us have a reason for where we live, who we are with, and in this case what we drive, I obviously measure my desires and choices different from most.

I think it is time I bow out of this thread, I don't mind discussing electric cars, just don't need the rhetoric about how electric is superior, had enough of that in the Planet 9 thread comparing the Mission E to the Telsa, it's not all about that.

 

[DriveInHouston]

No one is forcing you to stay or go.

Quoting lap time IMHO is a good indicator of the performance qualities of a sportscar. Not perfect, as most of us are not of the caliber of the lap setter, so the qualities of the car he is using may not be 100% as applicable to me, but the lap times of a Chevy Cruze compared to a GT2RS might be telling.

 

[Westcoaster]

No one is forcing you to stay or go.

Quoting lap time IMHO is a good indicator of the performance qualities of a sportscar. Not perfect, as most of us are not of the caliber of the lap setter, so the qualities of the car he is using may not be 100% as applicable to me, but the lap times of a Chevy Cruze compared to a GT2RS might be telling.

Only one measure and certainly not the most important factor of ownership as far as I am concerned.

Both you and @don have late model Caymans, from both of your recent comments I am surprised that you still have them and not a Tesla Model 3, how come?