Porsche's Next 718 Boxster And Cayman Decision Is Crucial

A few months ago, we learned that Porsche is interested in turning a future generation 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman into all-electric sports cars. On paper, this makes sense. These mid-engined vehicles seemingly already have the ideal setup for a floor-mounted battery pack in place of the combustion engine. Heck, it could even be possible to achieve the coveted 50-50 weight distribution. However, the automaker is no immediate rush to fully electrify the 718. Why? Batteries are still too heavy.

Speaking with the UK's Car magazine, Porsche R&D chief Dr. Michael Steiner acknowledged the project has yet to receive the green light. "We are running electrified Boxsters to gain expertise and knowledge to see how an electric car performs as a two-door. But there is no final decision yet," he said.

Furthermore, Porsche is having a hard time keeping the so-called "Porscheness" to sports cars. This task was easier to go on the all-new Porsche Taycan because it's a GT car and, therefore, some added weight was okay.

"But the additional weight for a sports car, we are not satisfied with today," he said. "This is one of the reasons why our next electric car will be a small SUV not a two-door sports car." Yes, that SUV will be an all-electric Macan, due next year in some but not all global markets. As Porsche continues to experiment with battery-powered sports cars, it's still waiting for the technology to catch up with its requirements.

"In principle, if there was a breakthrough in battery technology, something like solid-state batteries - this direction would trigger a two-door sports car fully electrified. But I do not see in the first half of this decade a good chance of a breakthrough in battery technology. We will see step-by-step incremental benefit with lithium-ion batteries."