The Porsche Macan Electric, also known as the Porsche Macan Electric in the working title, will be competing with the Tesla Model Y from 2024 and the BMW iX. The Porsche Macan test prototypes are heavily camouflaged and have many disguises on them to fool the public until showtime. We can see the silhouette of the new Porsche electric car, as it cannot be hidden. The first-generation Porsche Macan was unveiled in 2013. It is a modern SUV with a gently sloped roofline. The Porsche Macan will remain an SUV with a hunchback until Porsche’s major markets are ready to adopt full-scale EVs.
Reddit user VegarHenriksen posted a spy photo on February 12, 2023, that showed the Porsche Macan Electric with split headlights. The hood should have a Porsche Mission R-inspired headlight housing that only has the DRLs. It will be arranged using the four-point Porsche design. The low and high beams will be housed in a separate housing located right above the air intakes on the middle level.
Porsche’s LED headlights will likely be fitted to the Macan EV. These headlights can be up to two times brighter than current systems on surfaces four times larger. The headlights have a range of up to 600 meters and only light the pixels needed, saving energy. Porsche has fitted them with features such as welcome/leaving animated, lane illumination and construction and narrow-lane lights, and adaptive motorway hi beam. They also have a non-dazzling function that doubles the light of the HD matrix module in the large area to the left and right of the anti-dazzling gap.
2024 Porsche Macan EV Review
Porsche can make design changes that will improve the aerodynamics of the Macan. It can, for example, keep the nose down. Julian Baumann of Porsche’s Director Sales and Product Line SUV told Autocar the Taycan body is different than the first-gen Macan, and the team is working to improve the aerodynamics.
The SUV-coupe body style would not only help the EV achieve greater aerodynamics but also differentiate it from the gasoline-powered Macan. A sloping roofline should be complemented by an active spoiler to increase airflow and improve range. Andreas Huber told CAR, Porsche’s manager of digital prototypes, that his team had been working virtually on the Macan aerodynamics for five years. Huber says that keeping the drag down is essential to ensuring the long range of the all-electric next-generation model.
Porsche could offer virtual mirrors, a feature customers expect from the VW Group’s ‘everyday alternative’ – the Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron. Virtual mirrors are a great way to reduce drag and increase range. The Macan EV will have a rotary selector in place of the traditional gearshift.
Interior
As we have already mentioned, the interior of the Porsche Macan EV will be minimalist, driver-focused, and highly digital. This is something Porsche is slowly adopting to transition into the EV era. The Macan EV will feature a sleek and minimalistic dashboard design, a fully digital curved instrument cluster, an infotainment touchscreen system, and a display on the passenger side. Porsche is known for its tradition-based approach. In the EV era, Porsche has had to make some radical changes. Take the fully digital instrument cluster, for example, in the Porsche Taycan.
Spy photos have revealed that the instrument cluster is curved. If it is the same instrument cluster as the Porsche Taycan then the display should be 16.8 inches. Porsche, like the Taycan has avoided using a hood to give this area a thin and contemporary look that is comparable with high-end smartphones or tablets. The instrument cluster may feature real glass with a vaporized, polarizing filter to provide good visibility in sunny conditions.
InsideEVs, in a new set of spy photos published on December 9th, 2022, showed the Macan EV with a clock on the dashboard that could also be used as a lap-timer and a steering wheel. These features would be included in an optional Sport Chrono package.
New Infotainment Systems
The Porsche Macan Electric is set to feature a brand-new infotainment platform running Google’s Android Automotive OS. Volkswagen Group software division CARIAD is creating a new software architecture for vehicles based on an open-source version of Android Automotive OS. The German conglomerate will not include Google Play Store, as Volvo Car Group does, in its infotainment systems, because it is using the license-free Android Automotive OS.
The system is called ‘One. Infotainment’ will include a new App Store co-developed by Samsung-owned Harman. Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music, Tubi, TikTok, Stingray Karaoke, FRVR, etc. The passengers will be entertained while on the move. The new app store offers a variety of information and convenience apps, including Home Assistant, The Weather Channel Vivaldi Yelp Parkwhiz Plugshare, and The Weather Channel. This app store will include Webex for those who want to be able to work while on the move. Porsche will use a new climate control panel in the Porsche Cayenne 2024, which has analog controls that are easier to operate and less distracting. The panel will be black to ensure that the climate control functions can be seen clearly in contrast.
Exterior
The Porsche Macan Electric is going to ride on a brand new EV platform designed for luxury cars called Premium Platform Electric or PPE-Architektur. This platform is being jointly developed by Porsche and Audi, which includes Macan’s technical cousins, the Audi Q6 and Audi A6. PPE is similar to MEB (Modular E-Antriebs-Baukasten) but allows better outputs and new technologies and thus higher performance levels.
Porsche isn’t converting existing ICE platforms for EVs. According to Autocar, a report from May 9, 2022, Michael Steiner, a Member of the Executive Board for Research and Development at the company, says that there is always a compromise made in terms of weight, package, and other dimensions.
Lutz Meschke is the Deputy Chairman and Member of the Executive Board of Finance and IT at Porsche. He told Autocar, that using the PPE platform rather than developing a brand new platform in-house, results in a 30% cost saving. The Macan Electric has a double-wishbone front suspension that is fully revised, with a detachable strut at the front. It also features a multi-link suspension at the rear. Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus will be standard in higher configurations. Regardless of their suspension choice–steel suspension or air suspension–, customers will be able to check the electronic Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) option in their Macan Electric configuration.
The Macan Electric will have a rear-axle steer, unlike the Macan gas. The rear wheels can steer in a direction up to five degrees opposite to the front ones at speeds around 80 km/hr (50 mph). This reduces the turning circle to about 1 m (3,3 ft) when the speed is above 50 mph. The rear wheels will turn in the same direction at higher speeds.
Porsche will offer wheels up to 22 inches in diameter. They’ll have mixed tires on them, and they will be wrapped in different sizes. However, the company claims that the differences between the front and back axles are even greater than the ones on the gas-powered model. Porsche is taking seriously the feedback from Taycan customers about the lackluster range. Steiner told journalists that Macan Electric’s range would be “significantly” more than the Taycan, according to a cnet.com report.
Depending on the configuration, the Porsche Macan Electric will have a greater range than the Taycan. The Taycan’s maximum range is 504 km (313 miles) (WLTP). The maximum target figure could be around 350 km (WLTP) or 550 km. Spy photos from December 2022 show the Macan’s instrument panel displaying 391 kilometers (243 miles) of remaining range with a nearly full charge. These images were taken during a test drive on a racing track. The driving style was likely, not efficiency-focused. As stated above, the official range (WLTP), should be better.
A new set of spy photos from April 2022 showed the instrument cluster of a Macan Electric testing mule displaying 234km (145 miles) of remaining range, with 82% of charging remaining. It could have delivered only 285 km (177 miles) of range with a full battery charge. This test mule, however, was driven near the Arctic Circle. Cold weather may have led to an abnormally high consumption of energy. The driver could have also put the vehicle to various difficult tests. During the development of a vehicle, companies will often test it by drifting, off-roading, and doing other torturous driving. However, most people don’t drive like that.
Battery
The Porsche Macan Electric comes with a battery pack that has a capacity of 100 kWh. A report by InsideEVs, published on November 13th, 2022, states that the battery pack’s net (usable capacity) is very close to its installed capacity. It ranges between 96 and 98 kWh. This battery pack offers the perfect balance between performance and range, so there won’t be any need for an optional variant.
Porsche does not use cell-to-pack like Tesla or other automakers that are already more advanced. The battery pack for the 100 kWh is made up of 12 modules that contain prismatic NCM lithium-ion cells. The ratio of active materials (nickel cobalt and manganese), is 8:1 to 1. This means that the cobalt and Manganese materials are only 10% of the total. Porsche claims that the energy density of its cars is high, but does not give any figures.
Draxlmaier will supply the Macan EV battery packs, according to a previous report by Automobilwoche. Draxlmaier, a German automotive supplier, currently manufactures the Taycan battery packs in its 100,000 sq. The factory, located in Sachsenheim near Stuttgart, was opened in 2019.
Charging
The Porsche Macan Electric’s 800-volt technology will enable fast DC charging thanks to its high rate. Porsche hasn’t released the exact figure but has confirmed that it will be higher than the Taycan’s 270 kW. We anticipate that the number will be closer to 275 than 300 kW. Reddit user VegarHenriksen posted a spy photo showing the Macan EV charging at 172kW in North Norway, while it was still snowing.
Fast chargers with 800-volt technology allow the battery pack to be charged from 5 to 80% within 25 minutes. Porsche is aware that such chargers, at least those in the U.S., are difficult to find. Porsche has added a feature called ‘bank-charging’ to Macan Electric. In charging stations that use the 400-volt technology more commonly used, the high-voltage switch (gates), are automatically activated in the battery pack before the vehicle receives power. The 800-volt battery pack can be split in two with each having a voltage of 400 volts. This allows them to be charged simultaneously using the same charging station.
Macan Electric’s onboard AC converter, high-voltage heating system, and DC/DC Converter are all part of a patent pending ‘Integrated Power Box’. This box not only saves space, but also reduces the number of cables, weight, and costs. A standard 11 kW AC charger is available, and a 22 kW charger can be added as an optional item. Both will charge the battery overnight. Porsche is partnering with Ionity, but will only be setting up charging stations for Porsche customers. The Porsche exclusive charging stations network complements the Ionity outlets and gives consumers a unique experience when they plug in premium Porsche electric SUVs and sports cars.
Porsche will install its charging stations on major highways and traffic routes in Europe. The plugs, which will have up to 12 charging stations at each station, will provide a minimum charging power of 350 kW. Although the company hasn’t confirmed it, the network should be expanded to the U.S.A. and Canada before the Macan Electric launch.
Performance
Porsche confirmed that all configurations of the Macan Electric would have two motors. A normal unit will be at the front, and a stronger unit will be at the back. All-wheel drive is standard. In certain configurations, Porsche will place the rear motor in a position that is particularly far behind, referred to as a “performance rear axle.” The company’s goal will be to increase the weight at the back and achieve a 48:52 weight distribution between the front and rear.
Porsche will initially offer Macan Electric powertrains with torques of up to 1,000 Nm (738lb.ft.). The Macan Electric is capable of producing 450kW (603hp). The company used permanent excited synchronous motors (PSM), with water jacket cooling, and double V lamination of the permanent magnets in the rotors.
In Macan Electric, the components of the power electronics are made from silicon carbide, a semiconductor material more common than silicon. This is found in the pulse-inverter (PWR), located on the rear axle. Porsche claims that this reduces switching losses and allows for higher switching frequencies in the PWR.
Driving
InsideEVs reports that one-pedal driving will not be possible with the Macan Electric. Porsche will offer a “blended brake system with light to moderate lift-off regeneration” as it does on the Taycan. Porsche will learn from its Taycan experience to improve the powertrain of the Macan Electric. The same report states that the company’s power electronics will be made with SiC semiconductors.
Products
The Porsche Macan EV is being produced at the Porsche Leipzig factory in Germany. Porsche announced on September 14, 2020, that the preparations to manufacture the next Porsche electric vehicle have already begun. Automobilwoche reported on July 18, 2022, that the Leipzig plant would be ready to produce the Macan EV by mid-2023.
Porsche will celebrate its 20th anniversary at its Porsche Leipzig facility on August 20, 2022. The company announced that a new Macan Electric body shop was built in the plant. Albrecht Reimold stated in Automobilwoche on August 21, 2022, that the company would continue to make the current gas-powered Macan along with the next-gen electric Macan for about two years. Reimold is the Executive Board member for Production and Logistics at Porsche and Chairman of the Executive Board at Porsche Leipzig.
Reimold said that Porsche produces more than 80,000 Macans per year. Long-term, it plans to produce the next-generation Macan (EV), at the same volume. The German publication said that it will begin building the electric version in 2023.
2024 Porsche Macan EV Release Date & Price
Oliver Blume confirmed that customer deliveries of the Porsche Macan Electric would begin in 2024 during the company’s annual press conference held on 13 March 2023. Before sales begin, we expect an official unveiling in late 2023. Porsche announced in May 2021 the Macan all-electric would be on the road by 2023. The Macan EV is being held back by CARIAD issues. Automobilwoche reports that Porsche had originally intended to use E3 2.0 software but has now decided to utilize E3 1.2. Even the less-advanced version proves to be challenging.
Porsche tests every model in the world during its development. The Macan EV does not differ. The company has also been testing its upcoming electric SUV in the United States. Five prototypes are seen being driven along an American highway in the spy video. It was taken by Auto Spies car spotting 00K via Youtube. These units, like others before, have plenty of camouflage and fake body cladding to cover the actual design. This is especially true around the lights and bumpers.