Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance challenges gas with electronic

The most powerful Porsche on the road or track today is the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance Prototype. Built to show what a free electric race car can do, its performance is truly thrilling. Porsche puts out a maximum of 1,070 hp (800 kw) in qualifying mode and a continuous 600 hp (450 kw) in his 30 minutes of the Porsche Carrera Cup race.

how fast? Its top speed and lap times match his 911 GT3 Cup racer today. No EV on the market today can claim that.

Built like a race car, the GT4 ePerformance is difficult to ride, especially as a passenger. After donning the Nomex fire suit, helmet, and HANS device, I found that the best way to go was to insert my left foot into the car until it rested on the black metal box under my feet. Then I folded my helmeted head under the top bar of the roll cage and wiggled my torso on the bottom bar to drop onto the seat. It was all about flexing and bending enough to get past the front bar.

Porsche 918 Cayman GT4 e-performance

Porsche 918 Cayman GT4 e-performance

Porsche 918 Cayman GT4 e-performance

don’t be on the ground

Getting out is even harder. The Porsche crew insisted that I prove I could escape in a proper manner. I had to stand on the threshold and prove that I could jump over without touching the car and the ground at the same time. Using a battery pack that delivers more than 900 volts can be lethal.

I repeated this process as I climbed in, tightened my 5-point racing harness and tucked myself firmly into the unpadded seat shell. My leg stretched straight in front of me because one of the three sections of the battery pack of unknown size took up the entire leg.

The ‘taxi driver’ who makes two laps around the track at the Porsche Experience Center in Franciacorta, Italy, is a celebrity in her own right. In addition to testing electric Porsches, Simona de Her Silvestro has also competed in the electric car racing series FIA Formula E, the Australian supercar circuit and the IndyCar Series.

After the Porsche crew removed the DC charging cable, they gave a thumbs up to signal the time was up. De Silvestro looked at me, gave me his thumbs up, walked out of the garage, accelerated down the pit lane and out onto the track.

Porsche 918 Cayman GT4 e-performance

A real racer, and really loud

Within 10 seconds, three things became clear.

First, this is a perfectly adequate race car. I expected linear acceleration of the rocket ship. He can hit 0-60 mph in under 3.0 seconds, even on some production EVs. The upcoming 1,200-horsepower Lucid Air Sapphire promises his 0-60 mph acceleration in 1.9 seconds. This is an almost unthinkable figure for a large luxury sedan.

But I don’t think a Tesla or Lucid can hang in a corner up to 1.5g. On a tight side-to-side jog, my neck couldn’t keep my helmeted head from hitting the right and then the left side of the seat shell’s side guard. I quickly learned to scan the corners and pre-brace them.

Second, it’s louder inside than any other EV I’ve experienced. Formula E cars at least have open cockpits. This is the shell of a Porsche 718 Cayman with a completely different powertrain, and very little sound isolation between the occupants and what we called the ‘oily bit’. So much for quiet electric cars.

The GT4 ePerformance emits a loud squeak that spikes in volume when power is applied. Imagine a CGI electric jet fighter in theaters with the volume turned up to 11. The howl comes from the car’s two permanent magnet electric motors, drivetrain, and power electronics. An engineer on the development team told Motor Authority that the biggest culprit was the two single speed he transmissions between the motor and the wheels and for maximum power straight he uses cut gears. . When Porsche first tested his cabin noise in the car he approached 120 dB, a near painful condition. Sound insulation wrapped around the loudest components has been reduced to acceptable levels for race drivers.

Porsche 918 Cayman GT4 e-performance

Porsche 918 Cayman GT4 e-performance

Porsche 918 Cayman GT4 e-performance

Race with early braking

The Cayman GT4 ePerformance runs like a race car, but the driver brakes sooner to maximize regenerative energy. De Silvestro didn’t have a battery at his feet. Instead, she used her two conventional pedals and braked hard before the first corner.

On the Taycan, Porsche doesn’t offer regenerative braking on accelerator lift off (aside from a bit of sport mode). Similarly, the GT4 ePerformance’s brake pedal should be used to initiate regeneration for both motors. To preserve the driver’s traditional braking feel, the car is set to 60% recuperation and his 40% friction braking at the front and 100% recuperation at the rear.

The car’s all-wheel drive and instant electric torque allowed the de Silvestro to exit corners faster than a petrol car. In some corners, the wheel rumbled past his strip and he sprinted with full power to his point following early braking. Rinse and repeat.

Porsche 918 Cayman GT4 e-performance

Festival of Speed ​​Debut

The project, in which this demonstrator EV race car appeared, began in 2018, mission R concept It wasn’t unveiled until the 2021 Frankfurt Motor Show in Munich. The actual track His car debuted at Goodwood his Festival of Speed ​​this June and famously drove his 1.16-mile hill climb his course in 45.5 seconds, finishing second overall. McMurtry Spearing.

According to Porsche, the Cayman GT4 ePerformance is built to the same specs as the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport Racer, but is 5.5 inches wider. This is one of his due to the 18-inch wide custom tires developed at Michelin. based or renewable material. The car’s biggest feature is the oil cooling of the pack, motor and power electronics. Heat can escape fast enough to run up to 600 horsepower from maximum capacity until the pack is depleted.

Porsche 918 Cayman GT4 e-performance

World tour

The GT4 ePerformance will be showcased at racing events around the world over the next year and a half. Perhaps one day his members of the team can meditate and run his first 30 minutes of a Clubsport race to show how competitive an electric racer can be against internal-combustion rivals. said.

Still, it will take some time before racetrack owners decide they want to embrace EV racing, said Thomas Rodenbach, head of Porsche Motorsport. The electrical infrastructure to provide his DC fast charging for dozens of vehicles simultaneously is substantial and costly.

At the Experience Center in Franciacorta, the GT4 ePerformance was charged via a giant 8- to 10-foot tall metal cube containing several used Taycan battery packs. This cube can charge your car’s 900 volt battery pack from 5-80% in just 15 minutes.

Not all teams have the resources to ship their own charging infrastructure around the world. But until electric racing becomes more established, Rodenbach said Porsche will evaluate what needs to be done at each track.

Will there be a Clubsport version of the GT4 ePerformance car available to customers? Laudenbach objected, saying the company is listening to feedback from race teams, customers, track owners and others.

He said the most common question the team had at Goodwood was whether it would be electric. There is “Electric” in big letters on the back of the car.

The fact that many weren’t sure it was electric seems like a good sign. In terms of performance, if not sound), that means it’s already considered competitive. Mission R achieved?

Porsche provided airfare, accommodation and travel time for the Motor Authority to deliver this direct report.