The 718 Cayman GT4 RS did not have a lithium-ion battery

The batteries in the latest Porsche GT cars are lithium-ion… aren't they?

last month"GT4 RS gas tank capacity: 54 + 8 = 64?" I was writing a blog called ", and there was one comment I received that caught my attention.

Here are some of the comments we received:

"My Spyder, even though it's an RS, doesn't have a lithium battery. How about Rika's GT4RS? It seems that the 911s I've received are about half lithium and half regular."

Wh, what?!

Our houseThe 992.1 Carrera T is also a lightweight model, so it uses a lithium-ion battery.Furthermore, models that also boast lightweight features, such as the 992.1 GT3, should have been lithium-ion.

Following this trend, I assumed that the 718 Cayman GT4 RS (or Spyder RS), a GT car model equipped with the same engine as the GT3, would also use lithium-ion batteries.

…Just kidding. Actually, I hadn't even thought about the battery (laughs).

But even so, don't you subconsciously somehow think, "It has to be lithium ion after all"?

718 Cayman GT4 RS battery check

I was curious so I checked.

First, I thought I'd check it easily from the comfort of my own home using a manual, but the only thing written about the battery was that it was "450A (70Ah)."

Well, judging from the amperage of 70Ah, I'm sure this is an AGM battery and not a lithium-ion battery, but I still can't be sure until I see it with my own eyes.

So, here it is.

I can open it.

Pop!

A few years ago, I would have been nervous and anxious just opening this door, but people really do change (laughs).

Visually check the battery.

(Things are a bit dirty inside... Why is it so dirty under the cover?)

There is no mention of lithium ion on the battery, but when I scanned the QR code to check the part number it was "992-915-105-A".

I checked the part number and sure enough, it said "AGM Battery."

It wasn't lithium ion after all!

I wonder why that happened?

Was it because of too many problems? Cost cutting? Supply shortage? Or was it simply because the 911 (Carrera T, GT3, etc.) models were made to be compatible with lithium-ion batteries, but the 718 wasn't designed to be compatible with them, so they stuck with AGM?

I don't know the technical aspects (such as how much affect other settings and parts are caused by whether it's AGM or lithium ion), so I can't say for sure.

Just to be sure, we checked what was said about the "weight reduction" of the GT4 RS when it was first announced:

• Lightweight construction
• Being an RS model, lightweight construction is a must (it weighs just 1,415 kg (weight without a driver and a full tank of gas according to DIN standards), 35 kg lighter than the GT4).
• Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP / carbon fiber reinforced plastic) is used for components such as the bonnet and front wing to reduce weight.
• Lightweight carpet reduces the amount and weight of insulation
• The rear window is made of lightweight glass

Ugh.

There is no mention of a "lightweight battery" anywhere (though it was there when the Carrera T was announced).

I also checked what was said about the "weight reduction" at the time of the Spyder RS announcement:

• Lightweight construction
• Lightweight stainless steel sports exhaust as standard
• Rooftop is a single-layer (single-layer) lightweight soft top that opens and closes manually
• If you want to save even more weight, you can leave the top of your car at home and lose 8kg.
• Lightweight carbon-weave CFRP full bucket seats are standard equipment.
• Lightweight forged magnesium wheels can also be ordered as an option with the Weissach package.

Here, here, here, there was no mention of a "lightweight battery"! From the beginning, it was just "It's an AGM battery."

Well, I didn't really care about it so it's not a big deal now.

However, when I opened the front cover and checked the battery, I noticed something that bothered me more than the battery:

This, this, this suspension mount part? Something like that.

How should I put it, it's not that this part was "painted", but rather it looks like "paint from the Ruby Star Neo body flew onto it" (lol)?

Is that even possible?

The other side looks like this, with a bit of Ruby Star Neo paint on it.

I think it looks like the robot was painting the edges of the body by sweeping the paint around them.

It was interesting because it was something that had never happened in any of the 9/11s I've ever seen before.

The new (992.2) Carrera T may also have an AGM battery.

One more thing at the very end.

This again made me curious, so I checked what was written about the weight reduction when the new 992.2 Carrera T was announced, but there was no mention of a "lightweight battery" like there was when the 992.1 was announced.

Maybe the weight reduction that was already adopted in the 992.1 model was omitted and not written about, but I wondered if this was the case and searched and searched.

So what I discovered wasCar & DriverThe media article said:

 Unfortunately, due to OBD regulations, Porsche was forced to replace the old T's lightweight lithium-ion 12-volt battery with a traditional lead acid unit, adding some weight back it had conveniently shaved off.

In other words, "Unfortunately, OBD regulations have forced Porsche to replace the 992.1 Carrera T's lightweight lithium-ion 12-volt battery with a conventional lead-acid battery, further increasing the weight of the car that was supposed to have been lightened."

That's right! (Of course, this may only apply to North American models.)

Well, even if I could see it, there would be nothing, but I still want to see what the batteries are like in the 992.2 Carrera T and GT3 that are being imported into Japan (lol)!!

Related article:
◆GT4 RS gas tank capacity: 54 + 8 = 64?
◆Lithium-ion battery for Porsche 911 Carrera T (992.1)
◆Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS announced, specs and domestic price
◆Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS information update
◆Porsche 718 Spyder RS unveiled: equipped with 911 GT3 naturally aspirated engine