Porsche Macan EV To Have Better Range Than Taycan, Spied

Prototypes of the Porsche Macan EV are starting to hit the roads for public testing, two years after the automaker confirmed the development of an all-electric version of the SUV. The Macan EV is expected to hit showrooms in 2023 while the current Macan is expected to get a mid-life refresh this year.

"It's the next right step for Porsche," Michael Steiner, member of the company's executive board for research and development, told journalists on a call earlier this week.  The Macan EV will be the first vehicle to use Porsche’s new dedicated electric vehicle architecture, called PPE (for Premium Platform Electric), and it will be sold alongside the petrol-powered version. The Macan and Macan EV will be “very close” in terms of dimension, Steiner said, even though the two models will not share the same architecture. In fact, Porsche isn't even sure if the EV will actually wear the Macan name. "We call it internally Macan electric," Steiner said. "The final decision whether it will be [named] Macan in the market is not decided today."

Steiner further stated that the Porsche Macan SUV will build on the success of the Taycan electric sedan. "The 800-volt architecture is taken from the Taycan and we'll bring this to the PPE platform for the Macan," he said. But while the Taycan has come under criticism for its subpar range, Steiner says this won’t be an issue with the Macan. “We learned range and range anxiety is an issue in some markets," he said, and while exact specifications are still TBD right now, Steiner said the Macan will have "significantly more [range] than the Taycan."

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Like the Porsche Taycan, the Macan EV will also be most likely be offered with two different battery sizes, though not necessarily in every country. Technically we are prepared for two battery sizes but we learned ... most customers look for the bigger range," Steiner said. "Most probably we will look at least in the North American market for having one, and this would be the bigger battery."

The base and 4S versions of the Porsche Taycan sedan come standard with a 79.2 kWh battery pack, a 93.4 kWh battery pack is optional. The bigger battery pack comes standard in the Taycan Turbo, Turbo S, and all models of the Taycan Cross Turismo wagon.

The Porsche EV is currently in its final stages of development, but 2023 is still a fair bit away. "By the time the all-electric Macan is launched onto the market in 2023, it will have covered some 3 million test kilometres worldwide in varying conditions," the company said in a statement. Porsche said it is also running 20 digital prototypes, "for the purpose of simulation in a number of development categories, such as aerodynamics, energy management, operation and acoustics."

The Porsche Macan EV will play a big part in Porsche’s ambitious electrification plans. The automaker expects hybrid and EVs will account for 80% of its sales by 2030. Porsche is also aiming to be totally carbon-neutral by that year as well. The Macan EV is a big part of Porsche's ambitious electrification plans. The company expects electrified vehicles (hybrids and EVs) to account for 80% of its sales by the year 2030, and Porsche is aiming to be totally carbon-neutral by that time, as well.