Balance weight and range
The weight of high-performance EV cars in the world exceeds 1,800 kg, and some are more than twice that weight, but Porsche is currently responsible for the 718 and 911.Mr. Frank MoserAccording to him, as long as he is in charge, he will not put the Porsche crest on such a heavy EV car.
According to Moser, if he had to choose between ``extending range'' and ``reducing weight'' in Porsche's electric sports car, he would always choose ``reducing weight.''
Although both the 718 and 911 have gained weight over the years, reducing the weight of cars is still part of Porsche's ethos, and that's said to remain the case even with electrification.
Regarding the technical challenges of the EV718 Cayman, it is said that they do not want to be the top in the industry in terms of cruising range, but it is necessary to strike a balance between weight and cruising range.
Of course, a certain range is necessary, but does it really need to be able to travel from Munich to Hamburg (approximately 800 km) in one go? Since this is not a car for that purpose, even if it were electric, it would still be a 2-door sports car. Mr. Moser says that the weight of the 718 should be kept low.
You can't make a 2-ton, 2-door sports car.
The relationship between cruising range and weight in EV vehicles is largely dependent on battery size, and as the battery capacity increases, the cruising range advantage seems to decrease.
In other words, compared to a 50kWh battery, a 100kWh battery does not simply double the range compared to a 50kWh battery. The reason for this is that the weight of the battery increases significantly.
Therefore, vehicles equipped with batteries must be designed to accommodate this increased weight, which gradually increases inefficiency, creating a vicious cycle that results in decreased performance. It is said that it has become.
The extra weight essentially impedes acceleration, braking, and cornering performance, and worsens brake and tire wear, says Moser. ``The weight has to be as light as possible. You can't make a car."
For Porsche, the tradition of all sports cars is that they are light.
Although it is said that lightness is Porsche's main focus, it is also necessary to consider all other regulations such as collision safety and pedestrian protection, and in order to comply with such regulations, cars must be It seems to be getting heavier.
It is said that it is really, really difficult to develop a truly light car. Still, he said, ``A two-door sports car must be as light as possible.''
EV911 also has a problem with weight
By the way, the 911 model is still said to be equipped with an internal combustion engine, and the hybrid version that will be released in the future is said to have the best performance among all 992 models.
Furthermore, nothing has been officially announced regarding the EV911 (perhaps GT2 RS?), and it is said that this may be due to the remaining weight issue.
Indeed, when 992.1 was first announced in 2018, it was already said that ``(992)I'm ready to make it a hybrid, but I can't release it yet because of battery weight issues.'', so I think that if it were to become a full EV, the weight issue would be a very difficult problem to overcome.
Source:Porsche Says It 'Cannot' Let Electric 718 Cayman Weigh 4,000+ Pounds