Author: Michelin

Recently, the term “million-level electric vehicles” has been “overused”.

If at first, the term “million-level electric vehicles” was just a joke that Yu Dazui made when comparing their own cars, nowadays more and more people are taking it seriously. Some brands have launched high-end lines, while others are preparing to create new brands from scratch.

At the GeekCar office, Wang Tupu spoke confidently: “I think the ceiling for the materials used in electric vehicles is 500,000 yuan, and for that amount, one can get everything they need.”

However, car manufacturers clearly do not think so. No one wants to roll over in the mass market if they can create a million-level luxury car like Porsche that is loved by everyone.

When it comes to luxury brands that are popular in the traditional internal combustion engine vehicle market, none stand out more than Porsche which sells over 300,000 cars a year and makes more profit than profit monster Tesla. It can be said that there are no cars that are more expensive than Porsche and sell better than it, and no cars that are even similarly priced to it can even touch its sales. Perhaps, no one knows better how to make million-level luxury cars than Porsche.

But when it comes to electric vehicles?

On November 14, Porsche announced for the first time the all-new PPE platform structure, as well as the first purely electric vehicle model, the all-electric Macan, based on the PPE platform. If the Taycan, which was unveiled four years ago, was Porsche’s first foray into the electric vehicle market, the PPE platform is like a purely electric vehicle factory that Porsche has built.

Porsche takes electric vehicles seriously.

What is the “real deal” in the electric age?

Looking at the increasing number of car manufacturers looking for high-end brands, one cannot help but ask: Wasn’t there a need for high-end brands in the internal combustion engine vehicle era?

Of course, there was, but a V8 engine may have brought 99% of people back to reality. The engine and high horsepower are the “real deals” of the internal combustion engine era and are the difficult gap to cross when it comes to million-level luxury cars.### What is the hard currency of the electrification era?

Battery? Endurance? Or intelligence? If you mean endurance achieved by stacking batteries and intelligence achieved by adding functions, then obviously that’s not it. The hard currency of the electrification era is the technology that is created through extreme demand and refinement, which cannot be easily replicated by other brands in a short period of time. For instance, a brand new pure electric architecture.

As a platform specifically designed for the development of pure electric vehicles, the PPE platform technology is jointly developed by Porsche and Audi. To put it in general terms, the advantage that the PPE platform brings to the pure electric Macan lies in its flexibility in layout and space. This flexibility enables various innovative technologies and products to be quickly implemented on the pure electric Macan and all future pure electric vehicles of Porsche.

For example, as the first brand to attempt 800V technology on mass-produced vehicles, 800V technology not only brings Porsche fast charging, but also helps the Taycan Turbo S maintain stable high-power output for a long time while lapping at the Nürburgring.

Now, after Porsche has further optimized the power density and efficiency of this technology, it has been moved to the pure electric Macan to provide shorter charging time, more stable high-performance output, smaller wire volume and weight, and higher energy conversion efficiency. Combined with the optimization of the new generation of permanent magnet synchronous motors and water-cooled systems, the pure electric Macan achieves an output power of 450kW and a torque exceeding 1000N·m.

The flexible spatial layout of PPE architecture provides greater operation space for wheelbase, track and ground clearance, such as incorporating a larger battery pack. The pure electric Macan adopts a lithium-ion battery with a total capacity of about 100kWh, consisting of 12 modules of square battery cells with a mixed proportion of nickel, cobalt and manganese of 8:1:1, and energy density further upgraded.

Combined with 800V technology, the charging power exceeds 270kW, and the battery can be charged from 5% to 80% in 25 minutes. The new “combined charging” technology also enables the pure electric Macan to better adapt to 400V charging piles even without 800V ultra-fast charging piles.

In addition to facilitating the adoption of innovative technologies, the advantages of PPE platform in layout and space can also meet the needs of different vehicle models, including sedans, SUVs, and station wagons, which can flexibly adjust the wheelbase, track, and ground clearance and provide multiple forms of power and performance.

The “Porsche Gene” of the Pure Electric Macan

Whether luxury brands can maintain their previous brand value in the electric era may be a difficult question to answer. But it is certain that electric vehicles that have lost their brand genes are destined to be difficult to continue.

Therefore, when the PPE platform, which was born for pure electric, replaced the original internal combustion engine architecture, and power batteries and motors replaced the engine and transmission, what is the Porsche gene on the Pure Electric Macan? It may be the pursuit of driving performance and driving pleasure, which is no exception even on a pure electric SUV.

As a four-wheel drive SUV, the all-electric Macan is equipped with an electric motor on each axle. Contrary to the common 50:50 layout, the rear electric motor is positioned further back to shift the overall center of gravity towards the rear by a ratio of 48:52, which, along with the dynamic torque distribution of the rear-axle steering and four-wheel drive, makes the all-electric Macan more agile when cornering. Furthermore, the width difference between the front and rear tires will be widened to achieve better traction and driving dynamics.

The all-electric Macan features a completely improved front double-wishbone suspension and rear multi-link axle. The independent strut connecting rod on the front double-wishbone improves responsiveness, steering accuracy, and straight-line driving ability, while the rear multi-link axle is connected to the body through an elastic subframe, with the electric motor directly fixed to the subframe.

At the same time, the flagship model is equipped with an electronic control differential lock on the rear axle, which can be independently controlled according to different driving situations to ensure greater traction, driving stability, and lateral dynamics.

The application of technologies such as the Traction Management System (PTM) and the Active Suspension Management System (PASM) with double-valve shock absorbers on the all-electric Macan enables the torque to be distributed between the front and rear axles as needed according to different driving modes and situations, and makes the differences between each driving mode more pronounced.

All these technologies give rise to the “Porsche flavor” of the all-electric Macan’s driving experience.

If the PPE platform helped Porsche create an excellent electric vehicle, then its unique understanding of driving has given this electric vehicle the Porsche DNA.## Infusing the “Electric Soul” to the Racetrack

Without the racetrack, racing car brands are soulless, and the same goes for the electric era. Infusing the “electric soul” into the racetrack is likely to be a problem that every racing car brand needs to solve.

At the 2021 Munich Motor Show, Porsche unveiled the Mission R concept car. In the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed, the test prototype car of the Mission R concept, the 718 Cayman GT4 e-Performance, was officially launched. We can see Porsche’s vision for future pure electric GT racing cars and their ideas for future electric innovative technologies in it.

The electric motor and power battery technology of the 718 Cayman GT4 e-Performance are completely derived from the Mission R. Direct oil cooling technology and stable high-performance output capabilities enable the GT4 e-Performance to achieve a maximum output power of 800 kW (1,088 PS) in qualifying mode, and 450 kW (612 PS) of power can be sustained for 30 minutes in simulation races.

In terms of lap time and top speed, the GT4 e-Performance is roughly equivalent to the current 992-generation 911 GT3 Cup. The 900V technology can charge the battery from 5% to 80% in 15 minutes.

The all-weather adjustable four-wheel drive equipped on the GT4 e-Performance can perform energy recovery on both axles, with a ratio of up to 50%.At the same time, GT4 e-Performance follows the same rules and regulations as Porsche’s production cars. This means that when a collision occurs, the connection between the battery, vehicle, and high-voltage equipment will automatically disconnect to ensure there is no voltage as the GT4 e-Performance carries 900 volts of high voltage.

Finally

On the PPE platform, the pure electric Macan, GT4 e-Performance and Misson R, we can still see Porsche’s dedication to the track, their dedication to driving, and even more so, their exploration and experimentation towards electric innovation technology.

It is said that sincerity is key to success. One hundred years ago, a group of people took engines, gearboxes, and chassis seriously, thus leading to the familiar car brands and classic car models that have been etched in time. Today, people continue to apply this prudence to electric cars, creating one unforgettable electric car after another that will shape our future.

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.