Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance challenges gasoline with electrons

Essentially the most highly effective Porsche on the highway or observe right this moment is the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance prototype. Constructed to point out off what an unfettered electrical race automobile can do, its efficiency is nothing wanting thrilling. Porsche quotes as much as 1,070 hp (800 kw) of output in qualifying mode, and a steady 600 hp (450 kw) for the 30-minute period of a Porsche Carrera Cup race.

How briskly is it? Its high velocity and lap instances match these of right this moment’s 911 GT3 Cup racers. No EV in the marketplace right this moment can declare that.

Constructed like a race automobile, the GT4 ePerformance is tough to get into, particularly as a passenger. After donning a Nomex fireproof swimsuit, a helmet, and a HANS gadget, I discovered the perfect technique of entry was to insert my left leg into the passenger compartment till it rested on a black steel field within the footwell. I then folded my helmeted head below the highest bar of the roll cage, wiggled my torso throughout the underside bar, and dropped into the seat. The final step was to boost my proper leg, bending and flexing it sufficient to recover from the sill and previous the cage’s entrance bar.

Don’t be the bottom

It’s even more durable to get out. The Porsche crew insisted I show I may get out the correct method. I needed to present I may stand on the sill, then leap clear with out touching the automobile and the bottom on the similar time—which may floor the automobile by my physique within the occasion of an electrical fault. With a battery pack delivering energy at greater than 900 volts, that might be deadly.

I repeated the method to get in once more, then buckled the five-point racing harness to press myself firmly into the unpadded seat shell. My legs stretched straight out in entrance of me, as a result of one of many three sections of the unspecified-size battery pack occupies all the footwell.

My “taxi driver” for 2 laps across the observe on the Porsche Expertise Heart in Franciacorta, Italy, is a star in her personal proper. Simona de Silvestro not solely assessments electrical Porsches, she has competed within the electric-car racing sequence FIA Components E, the Australian Supercars circuit, and the IndyCar Sequence.

After the Porsche crew eliminated DC charging cable, a thumbs-up signaled it was time go. De Silvestro checked out me, I gave a thumbs-up, and we rolled out of the storage, accelerated down pit lane, and rocketed onto the observe.

An actual racer, and actually noisy

Three issues turned evident inside 10 seconds.

First, that is completely a correct race automobile. I anticipated the rocket-ship straight-line acceleration; even some manufacturing EVs can knock out 0-60 mph in 3.0 seconds or much less. The upcoming 1,200-hp Lucid Air Sapphire guarantees 0-60 mph acceleration in 1.9 seconds, an virtually unthinkable quantity for a big luxurious sedan.

However we suspect no Tesla or Lucid can hold on in corners at as much as 1.5 g. On a good left-right jog, all my neck energy couldn’t hold my helmeted head from banging off the fitting aspect, then the left aspect, of the seat shell aspect guards. I rapidly realized to scan the corners and brace forward of time.

Second, it’s a lot noisier inside than some other EV I’ve skilled. Components E vehicles at the very least have open cockpits; that is the shell of a Porsche 718 Cayman with a wholly totally different powertrain and virtually no noise insulation between the occupants and what we used to name “the oily bits.” A lot for silent electrical autos.

The GT4 ePerformance sounds a loud whine that soars in quantity below energy. Think about a CGI electrical jet fighter in a theater with the amount turned as much as 11. The howl comes from the automobile’s two completely excited magnet electrical motors, drivetrain, and energy electronics. A development-team engineer informed Motor Authority the largest offender is the 2 single-speed transmissions between the motors and wheels that use straight-cut gears for max energy. When Porsche first examined it, cabin noise contained in the automobile approached 120 dB, verging on painful. Soundproofing wrapped across the loudest parts diminished it to tolerable for race drivers.

Race driving, with earlier braking

The Cayman GT4 ePerformance drives like a race automobile, however the driver brakes earlier to maximise regenerated power. De Silvestro didn’t have a battery below her ft. As an alternative, she had two typical pedals, and he or she braked onerous earlier than the primary nook.

Within the Taycan, Porsche gives no regenerative braking on accelerator lift-off (besides a bit within the Sport modes). Equally, the brake pedal within the GT4 ePerformance should be used to provoke regen for each motors. To take care of a traditional brake really feel for the driving force, the automobile is ready up for 60% regen and 40% friction braking up entrance and 100% regen on the rear.

The automobile’s all-wheel drive and instantaneous electrical torque let de Silvestro energy out of corners sooner than she would have in a gasoline automobile. In some corners, as soon as the wheels cleared the rumble strips, it was full power-on to dash to the following early braking level. Rinse and repeat.

Pageant of Velocity debut

The mission from which this demonstrator EV race automobile emerged started in 2018, although the Mission R idea wasn’t introduced till the 2021 Frankfurt motor present, held that 12 months in Munich. The precise observe automobile debuted on the Goodwood Pageant of Velocity this previous June, protecting the well-known 1.16-mile hill-climb course in 45.5 seconds for a second-place general behind solely the McMurtry Spierling.

Porsche notes the Cayman GT4 ePerformance has been constructed to the identical specs as a 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport racer, although it’s 5.5 inches wider, due partially to the customized 18-inch broad tires developed with Michelin, which include as much as 53% bio-based or renewable supplies. The automobile’s most vital characteristic is the oil cooling of the packs, motors, and energy electronics; it could possibly shed warmth quick sufficient that it could possibly run on the full 600 hp from full capability till the pack is depleted.

World tour

The GT4 ePerformance might be showcased at race occasions around the globe over the following 12 months and a half. Maybe in the future, a crew member stated wistfully, it could possibly run the primary half-hour of Clubsport races to point out simply how aggressive an electrical racer might be towards combustion-engined counterparts.

Nonetheless, it’ll take some time for racetrack house owners to resolve they need to accommodate EV racing, stated Thomas Laudenbach, head of Porsche Motorsports. {The electrical} infrastructure to offer even a few dozen autos with simultaneous DC fast-charging is substantial and dear.

On the Expertise Heart in Franciacorta, the GT4 ePerformance charged by way of a large, 8-10-foot tall steel dice containing a number of used Taycan battery packs. The dice can cost the automobile’s 900-volt battery pack from 5-80% in simply quarter-hour,

Not all groups can have the sources to ship their very own charging infrastructure around the globe. However till electrical racing is extra established, Laudenbach stated, Porsche will assess what it might want to do at every observe.

Will a Clubsport model of the GT4 ePerformance automobile be provided to clients? Laudenbach demurred, saying the corporate was listening to suggestions from race groups, clients, observe house owners, and others.

The commonest query the crew obtained at Goodwood, he stated, was whether or not it was electrical or not. The automobile now has “Electrical” in giant letters throughout the again.

The truth that so many individuals weren’t certain it was electrical looks as if a very good omen. If Porsche’s first EV race automobile can simply be mistaken for a gasoline racer—in efficiency, if not essentially in sound—meaning it’s considered as aggressive already. Mission R achieved?

Porsche offered airfare, lodging, and observe time for Motor Authority to deliver you this firsthand report.