Porsche confirms up to 600bhp for next-gen electric Macan

The next Porsche Macan is getting some serious power. In a statement about its pathway to electromobility, the sports car brand said that the new Macan, which will be all-electric and ready to start testing, will be capable of producing up to 600bhp.

The new Macan will sport the 800-volt architecture seen in the Porsche Taycan. That set-up means the weight of the cables will be lower and the 100kWh battery will charge from 0-80 per cent in just 25 minutes. Capable of up to 270kW power delivery, that’s actually faster than the Taycan. 

In fact, the Macan is getting some hella fancy charging tech. Porsche’s explanation of its technical wizardry around, what it calls, ‘bank charging’, is as clear as mud to the untrained eye. But essentially, the car will pre-condition the battery ready for charge and if the charger in question is only 400V, the car will know to adjust the corresponding switches so the 800V battery splits (virtually) into two smaller 400V batteries. Neat, huh?

Developed with Audi, the PPE - which stands for Premium Platform Electric and literally nothing to do with the hygiene-wear made trendy during the pandemic - is an all-electric platform offering an architecture that enables best use of space and configurable driving dynamics across a variety of models. The pure electric Macan is the first model to get PPE-ed, so to speak.

The German brand is also patenting an ‘Integrated Power Box’ component, a space-saving configuration which integrates the on-board AC charger, high-voltage heater and DC/DC converter neatly into one. Not only saving weight, but costs.

Porsche says it's aiming to make the all-wheel-drive Macan "the sportiest model in its segment" with "best-in-class performance values, long-range capability and high-performance fast charging".

As well as the underbody battery pack, the top-of-the-range Macan trims will get dynamic driving, with a fully variable electronically controlled rear differential, torque vectoring as standard and a ‘Performance’ rear axle. This is where the rear electric motor is positioned further back to give a rear-focused weight balance, which we very much like the sound of. 

By 2025, the brand expects over half of what it sells to be electrified in some way—with a view to pushing that figure to 80 per cent by 2030.