2025 Porsche Macan EV prototype: Porsche’s future is all around us
We got an early look at the SUV that’s spearheading the brand’s move to all-electricity.
Beyond Peter Frampton,Porsche is moving towards electric. Porsche has announced that by 2025, more than half of its sales will be hybrid or fully electric models, and it plans to have 80% of its lineup electric by 2030.911Eventually, every Porsche will be powered solely by batteries before you know it.Taycan It is the legendary performance brand’s first fully electric car, and is scheduled for launch in 2025What was This will be the first model in the current model range to move from internal combustion. To see how things go, Porsche gave us an early test drive of some Macan EVs about a year before the new compact electric SUV goes on sale.
Was there no money?
Although we tried four different camo Macan models in various stages of development, they were already outdated in some ways; Vehicles with newer hardware are already rolling off the production line in Germany (it will be possible to update much of their software via the Internet – over-the-air updates). However, these Macan models account for about 90 to 95 percent of the customer experience. Like all new Macanese, they depend on itPorsche PPE (Premium Electric Platform) architectureDeveloped in conjunction with sister brand Audi.
As far as we know today, almost all future electric Porsche and Audi cars will use some derivative of this platform. (We say “almost” because some smaller Audis may use Volkswagen’s MEB component kit.) The PPE uses a new, patented lightweight power box where the AC charger, battery heater, and DC/DC converter are located. The PPE is said to be flexible enough to form the basis of anything from a two-door sports coupe (a Boxster/Cayman EV, perhaps?) to a three-row SUV.
Things we know for sure
The all-electric 2025 Porsche Macan will be available in at least three models: the base Macan, Macan S, and Macan Turbo. Yes, everyone knows that electric cars don’t have real turbochargers (we’ve already discussed this with the Taycan). The base model will be available with either rear- or all-wheel drive, called the Macan and Macan 4 respectively. S and Turbo models will come with all-wheel drive only. The new Macan uses three electric motors. All three all-wheel drive models use the same front motor, the Macan and Macan S use the same rear motor, and the Turbo uses a larger, more powerful rear motor. Front brake discs are 13.8 inches on the base model, 14.8 inches on the S model, and 15.7 inches on the Turbo model. All models ride on 13.8-inch rear wheels because the rear brake doesn’t do much when braking (especially on electric cars with regenerative braking).
All US-spec Macans will come with air suspension, not because Porsche doesn’t want to offer customers a cheaper steel-spring option, but the ability to jack the car up in off-road mode is key to meeting the legal definition of an SUV. . Rear-wheel steering is optional. Gone is the two-speed gearbox found in the rear-mounted Taycan. In short, with the new engine, there is so much torque at any given speed that one gear works fine.
The rear motor is located behind the rear axle for several reasons. One is a silly nod to the car’s rear-engined predecessors. It’s stupid how the current Macan, Cayenne and Panamera can survive? This arrangement gives the Macan EV a 48/52 front-to-rear weight balance, and we think a rear-drive Macan will be more rear-biased as a result. Additionally, mounting the engine behind the axle frees up space for the four-wheel steering and also allows the rear seatbacks to slide an inch or two.
What we think we know
We have to tell you; The people at Porsche are very careful engineers. When we asked whether the 2025 model would be larger than the current Macan, one person shrugged. After a while, we pulled up next to a current-generation Macan and pointed it out. The shrug continues. Allow us to assure you: the new is bigger. We can’t say exactly how much, but it looks like the rear seats have nearly doubled in size. Then there is scope. We’ve been told several times that the Macan will be able to go more than 500 kilometers (311 miles) per charge on the European cycle, but EPA certification will be closer to SOP (start of production). In other words, Porsche doesn’t say.
While Porsche was charging the Macan while this reporter was eating, we jumped into the Turbo and found the battery 80 percent charged, giving it an estimated range of 252 miles. Some quick calculations tell us that the range on a full charge is over 300 miles (after some not-so-quick calculations, we’d say 315 miles). When we asked Porsche if that number was accurate, we were told not to mention the range in this story. This is madness. It looks like the battery can use 100 kWh of energy (net capacity), although it could be more than that (gross battery capacity). Will less powerful Macans have better range? Maybe, but unfortunately we haven’t had the chance to take a look at how many of these vehicles there are. Porsche says the Macan’s battery can be charged from 5 to 80 percent in 25 minutes, a competitive figure in its class.
Like the Taycan, the new Macan EV uses an 800-volt electrical architecture that enables fast charging of up to 270 kilowatts. In addition, the battery itself operates at 800 volts and can be charged in groups or in series. (These cells don’t work in parallel, but in series, as GM does in the GMC Hummer EV’s Ultium battery pack.) All of this means faster charging times than a 400-volt charger. According to Porsche, these motors are “permanently excited PSM,” but that’s a bit redundant since PSM is short for permanently excited synchronous motor. The advantage of PSM-type motors is that they are smaller and lighter than the asynchronous or “self-excited” motors used by BMW. The trade-off is that it costs more. Porsche confirmed that the Macan’s engines were all developed in-house, and are smaller and lighter than those found in the off-the-shelf units used in the Taycan.
What’s the Macan EV driving experience like?
Overall, it feels like a Macan. The on-center steering feel and the seating position/seats themselves are similar to the current gas-powered Macan and Cayenne. Overall, handling is great. Torque everywhere. Even by EV standards, it feels fast. The all-season tires our mule wore let the turbo down. It’s fast and capable, but not sharp. It seems to vibrate on the edge of the friction circle. We’re willing to admit that just hearing that the new high-performance Macan is making an appearance on the midsection may make us a little biased. He’s still a performance animal.
On a narrow, winding road in Malibu, we were stuck behind a car traveling at about 19 mph and made an unwise overtake. (Hey, we only had one chance to evaluate these mules, and the clock was ticking.) Naturally, there was a car coming almost immediately, and we didn’t want to be there. McCann Turbo passes the ball quickly, easily and effectively to the right side of the double yellow zone. Once again, we apologize to all involved. The key to admitting our mistakes is that the Macan Turbo Electric handles as well as any other SUV, even with less-than-perfect tires. Maybe a little better.
We are told a sad but shocking statistic; While all Porsches have always been equipped with summer performance tires, 99 percent of all Macans sold in the United States are equipped with all-season tires. Not good, people. Since many people will buy a Macan with all-season tires, Porsche does most of its real-world testing on them.
Compassion. Instead, the Macan S looks great in its all-season Continental guise. The natural sound of the engine is nice. The improved sound is the Taycan’s noise, but with extra bass thanks to the SUV. We are not keen on that. Few people will miss the sound of a turbo-4 or twin-turbo V6, although many will claim otherwise. As is often the case with electric cars, the less powerful version feels very powerful. Back to the Macan Turbo. Porsche says the two engines combined will generate more than 603 horsepower and more than 738 pound-feet of torque. That’s significantly more than the 434 hp and 405 lb-ft of the most powerful current Macan GTS. No details were provided about lower-power versions.
Porsche strongly insists (and in conflict with the rest of the industry) that “cruising” is the best strategy for regenerative braking. This means you won’t feel any regeneration that occurs when you take your foot off the accelerator. The car just landed. Can you increase regeneration levels using paddles? Although, of course, we have not found a way to activate real one-pedal driving. I spoke to several Porsche engineers over the course of the day about this, and not only were they uncomfortable with our questions (let’s be honest, on this trip, there were basically no issues), but they kept saying the sailing was better than the remanufactured one. This movement is more effective. Since regenerative braking can recycle 20 to 30 percent of a battery’s energy, this can’t be true. Is it possible to make an argument that under certain conditions (steady highway driving) it is less efficient for the car to slow down and have to re-accelerate? certainly. But what about stopped traffic? Come now.
We’re willing to admit that the lack of major regeneration (it would be crazy for Porsche to recycle any energy, and the new Macan EV does, though its effects are hidden from the driver) makes the Macan feel and drive better. Like the Taycan. So perhaps it’s best to think of Porsche’s sailing philosophy as a family trait. As a reminder, Mercedes-Benz Stuttgart reached the opposite conclusion:Its electric cars Features the most aggressive regenerative braking strategy on the market. It must be fun for engineers from different companies to meet at the bar.
The inside of the center screen is mostly covered in camouflage, although when it’s not covered it looks a lot like the Taycan. The steering wheel looks like a typical Porsche helmet and has a drive mode switch wheel. Is this a production steering wheel or just one taken from an existing Macan? No one will tell. In front of the steering wheel is a sleek digital display that somewhat mimics the curved, three-dial instrument cluster of the 356. Yes, unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to take the Macan mule off-road. We have no doubt that the new Macan will perform well on dirt roads, as the instant torque seems to give the electric car an advantage off-road.
Final thoughts
Not only do these Macans feel production-ready, they feel more electric than the current generation Macans. Yes, this was an early flight and the German engineers were deliberately keeping quiet, so there’s not much to say. The Macan has been the brand’s best-selling car since launch, and we see no reason why this fantastic new electric version will buck that trend. As several companies have shown (Tesla, Rivian, BMW, Mercedes, and now Kia), electric SUVs make a lot of sense, especially in terms of packaging. Porsche just needs to make sure its new SUV is the sportiest it’s ever been. Based on our brief drive of four pre-production mules, we’d say mission accomplished. We wish we could tell you more, but a review of the actual production Macan EV will be available soon. Now comes the hard part – the electric Boxster/Cayman.