Additional range for Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid
New hardware unlocks 30 miles of silent running for Porsche's V6 and V8 PHEVs
Porsche has upgraded the batteries that go into its E-Hybrid and Turbo S E-Hybrid Cayenne’s to 17.9 kWh, giving each variant 30 per cent more all-electric range than before. The new cells, which replace the 14.1kWh battery pack, mean the cars can travel a WLTP-validated 30 miles without troubling their combustion engine - and no less importantly, are able to provide peak electric power under heavy load for longer. Not that either car lacked anything in this department.
The new battery pack also comes with different charge settings, with the extra capacity enabling engineers to set each car’s target state of battery charge to 80 per cent, rather than totally full. This means the engines – a 340hp V6 and 550hp V8 – spend less time using energy to top up the cells, and more time delivering power to the wheels. Due to the way batteries receive their energy, the final 20 per cent of charge is always the slowest part, so the reduction in rolling charge time is said to be significant. When they are charging on the go, the cells can receive up to 12 kW of combustion engine energy.
As for the rest of the setup, both cars retain the same electric motor, giving the E-Hybrid a total combined output of 462hp and the Turbo S version 680hp. The layout places the motor directly alongside Porsche’s eight-speed Tiptronic S automatic gearbox, where electric output is combined with the combustion engine's heftier inputs. It’s a configuration that not only gives both cars tremendous performance, but also a seamless level of interaction. And also does nothing to dampen the note of the engines, particularly Porsche’s brutish blown eight-cylinder.
If the improvements sound familiar, by the way, it’s because Porsche has already rolled out its higher capacity battery pack in the Panamera range, where it’s also provided a 30 per cent boost in range for the PHEVs. Thanks to the model’s slipperier body, though, it can achieve 33 miles without using petrol power. Sales for hybrid models are already more significant than you might think, too: they represented about half of Panamera sales last year. Expect that proportion to grow in 2021.
It's about 30% better than the previous smaller battery pack, so 15 miles on the old one = 20 miles on the new one for the above poster as a reasonably attainable figure.
The tech still has some way to go until it reaches maturity, until then it’s largely a gimmick. I’ll leave it for the early adopters.
It’s a bit like the iPhone - I didn’t buy one until the iPhone 4 - they had a lot of flaws before that.
I ordered one on Tuesday and was chuffed to read that it will have a wider e-range than before. The increase guarantees that my wife's commute will be all-electric which is excellent news.
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