Teaser campaigns traditionally used to last only a couple of weeks or maybe a month or so, but automakers are now stretching them out to several months. Not only that, but every now and then, a car manufacturer provides an early look at an all-new model that won’t be coming out in the next 12 months. Case in point, Porsche is teasing a Macan EV that will not hit the market until 2023.
Testing is well underway both in the virtual and real world as Porsche is combining digital prototypes with physical vehicles to speed up development. No fewer than 20 prototypes have been developed in the virtual world and are being used in various simulated environments to perfect aerodynamics, acoustics, operation, and energy management.
The Macan EV is still very much a work-in-progress vehicle as the design hasn’t been finalized yet. Improvements are being made based on the findings to optimize airflow and improve efficiency to achieve a greater range between two charges. Actual prototypes of the all-electric crossover have been built either by hand or using special tools using key data obtained during simulations.
Porsche estimates the Macan will cover as much as three million kilometers in various conditions all over the world by the time it’s ready to enter series production in 2023. The main goal is to develop “the sportiest model in the segment” and therefore distance itself from the mechanically related Audi Q6 E-Tron due next year.
Both models will be underpinned by the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) currently being developed by Porsche and Audi. The Macan EV will support 800-volt architecture much like the Taycan, enabling fast-charging capabilities. It’s going to have a longer range than the company’s first EV, with some publications estimating it will cover around 250 miles based on the EPA test cycle.
The Macan without a combustion engine won’t spell the end of the traditional gasoline-fueled version. As a matter of fact, the ICE-powered crossover will get a direct successor later this year and will be sold alongside the EV version once that will be out sometime in 2023.
Source: Porsche
