Porsche is gradually detailing its next Macan. This is the manufacturer’s second 100% electric model, after the Taycan sedan and its station wagon versions. We were able to meet prototypes and thus discover some of its secrets before its presentation in early 2024.
Porsche Macan electric
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1/ This is a very important new development for Porsche
If the Taycan already constituted a significant challenge for the German manufacturer, which had to prove that its first electric car was a real Porsche, the electric Macan carries serious commercial challenges. Produced since 2014, the first generation Macan has become Porsche’s best-seller, even though it does not offer any plug-in hybrid version. Its thermal version will certainly continue to be produced for the moment, but its design is already aging and the electric Macan should take over entirely soon. No room for error, therefore.
Unsurprisingly, you shouldn’t expect a design revolution. The prototypes of the electric Macan, whose camouflage is very light, however, allow us to observe lights inspired by the Taycan, or even a much more receding roof line, inspired by SUV coupes. The interior is close to that of the latest versions of the Cayenne and Panamera. The dashboard features a 12.6-inch curved screen for instrumentation and a 10.9-inch central screen, supported as an option by a passenger screen of the same size.
Subsequently, it will be the turn of the 718 to offer an electric version in 2025, then that of the Cayenne. Finally, an SUV even larger than the Cayenne will soon be launched, also with 100% electric engines. For the moment, there is no question of producing an electric 911, but Porsche is preparing a hybrid version.
2/ It inaugurates a new platform
The electric Macan does not use the J1 platform of the Taycan, but a completely new architecture: the PPE, for Premium Platform Electric, developed with Audi. This is a modular platform, which will be shared in particular with the future Audi Q6 e-tron, the cousin of the electric Macan. Like the J1 platform, the PPE is based on an 800 V architecture.
Like the Taycan, the electric Macan has a weight distribution close to 50/50. It’s 48/52 for the SUV to be exact. Likewise, Porsche will offer rear-wheel steering as an option. The air suspensions allow the body height to be varied, from -30 mm in Sport Plus mode to +40 mm in off-road mode.
3/ It develops up to more than 600 hp
Two versions of the electric Macan will be available at launch, both equipped with two permanent magnet synchronous (PSM) electric motors to provide four-wheel drive. The front engine is identical between these two configurations, but the more powerful one has a larger engine at the rear. The electric Macan announces a maximum power of around 450 kW (611 hp) for a torque greater than 1000 Nm.
While the rear electric motor of the Porsche Taycan is equipped with a two-speed transmission which helps promote acceleration, the electric Macan makes do with conventional reduction gears for each of its motors. Note that it is possible to manually manage the distribution of torque, to the point of making your Macan a two-wheel drive vehicle. Not all power can be sent to a single axle, however, because the two motors are independent.
4/ Its range exceeds 500 km
All versions of the electric Porsche Macan receive the same battery pack with a total capacity of around 100 kWh. Its prismatic li-ion cells (NMC 811) and modules are manufactured in Germany by CATL. Thus equipped, the electric Macan displays more than 500 km of autonomy on all versions.
On the charging side, Porsche announces up to 270 kW of direct current power, allowing you to go from 10 to 80% charge in less than 22 minutes. In alternating current, with the on-board charger, the maximum charging power is 11 kW. Like the Taycan, the electric Macan has two charging ports (only one in CCS) on the right and left of the car. However, they are located at the rear, and not at the front like on the sedan. In addition, the Macan is compatible with Plug & Charge technology, which allows the car to automatically authenticate at compatible terminals.
Finally, energy recovery reaches up to 240 kW of power, which corresponds to a deceleration of 4.3 m/s², before hydraulic braking takes over. That’s even more than the Taycan. When you lift your foot, energy recovery causes a deceleration of 0.6 m/s², approximately as much as the engine braking of a thermal car, but it can be deactivated.
5/ Its infotainment screen runs on Android
If the interface of the central screen of the electric Macan looks exactly like that of the brand’s latest productions, it is in reality based on a completely different development. The new version is in fact based on Android Automotive OS, but without the famous Google Apps, for the moment anyway. However, it offers its own catalog of third-party applications, which include some of those present on the Play Store for the automotive version of Android. For example, it is possible to download Spotify, YouTube or even ABetterRouteplanner (ABRP).
These applications are also accessible by the passenger, who benefits from their own touch screen as an option. Despite the presence of a privacy filter to limit distractions for the driver, YouTube (for example) is only accessible when stationary.
Porsche has also reworked its journey planner, the integration of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, now with the navigation display in the instrumentation, and its voice assistant. The latter is notably capable of detecting which passenger is interacting with it, and lets it be known using new communicative ambient lighting. Finally, the electric Macan offers an optional augmented reality head-up display.