The development process of the new electric Porsche Macan is nearing completion. Ten years after the debut of this model, the Zuffenhausen company is ready to launch its second battery-powered car, choosing Macan to bring the evolution of the Stuttgart brand's performance onto the road thanks to the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE). It will be the first Porsche model to be born on this platform, representing another first for the German car manufacturer's range.
The development of Porsche Macan
To ensure that this model fully meets Porsche standards, a series of tests were carried out under extreme conditions with a meticulous testing process to ensure perfect coordination of all components and systems. The tests on the electric Macan were carried out in real conditions, with specific camouflaged prototypes, also exploiting in parallel the simulations carried out in a virtual environment and in the wind tunnel. Porsche's engineers focused first and foremost on ensuring maximum driving pleasure. In the various test phases, the objective is to coordinate the newly developed components and systems and to guarantee operational continuity and the fluidity of their interaction. In durability tests, the life of a vehicle is simulated under the most demanding operating conditions that customers may subsequently face only in extreme situations. To date, camouflaged prototypes of the fully electric Macan have covered more than three and a half million test kilometers on test tracks and public roads.
Top aerodynamics
Porsche has therefore tried to combine its stylistic DNA with aerodynamics optimized for the range. This was achieved with sharper body lines, but also thanks to components from the Porsche Active Aerodynamics (PAA) system and other specific measures. There are also variable elements in the underbody, with the floor of the car being flat and closed like that of a racing car, even in the area of the rear axle. The fairings are flexible and ensure low air resistance during extension: an innovative solution that combines with the aerodynamic wheels, mainly closed, and tire profiles optimized from an aerodynamic point of view. During normal driving on a country road, the Macan automatically assumes its ideal aerodynamic configuration. The rear spoiler moves to the “eco” position, the air flaps close and the chassis lowers. Thomas Wiegand, Head of Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics, and his team measured a drag coefficient of 0.25 (previously 0.35). This makes the new Macan one of the most aerodynamic SUVs on the market, while guaranteeing a high range, 500 km in the WLTP cycle on all variants that will be offered on the market.
Autonomy and charging
The powertrain of the new electric Porsche Macan will use a lithium-ion battery with a gross capacity of 100 kWh, of which up to 95 kWh can be actively used. The 800-volt PPE architecture of the new Macan enables high-performance fast charging, which is currently being tested by technicians in Zuffenhausen. For the new Macan, the DC charging capacity at the 800 Volt charging stations reaches 270 kW. The charge level can be brought from 10 to 80% in less than 22 minutes at 400 Volt charging stations; a high voltage switch present in the battery allows charging in “bank charging” mode, i.e. effectively dividing the 800 Volt battery into two batteries, each with a nominal voltage of 400 Volts. This enables particularly efficient charging, without having to resort to an additional high-voltage booster, up to 150 kW. AC charging is possible up to 11 kW.
Extreme tests for the electric Porsche Macan
The dynamic tests were then carried out in extreme conditions, with the prototypes being tested all over the world, in climatic ranges ranging from -30° in Scandinavia to +50° C in Death Valley in California. Porsche uses exclusively the latest generation of permanently excited PSM engines on the front and rear axle. These engines provide an overboost power of more than 450 kW, are extremely efficient and guarantee optimal reproducibility of the power output. The electronically controlled Porsche Traction Management manages the distribution of the more than 1,000 Nm of torque available in the top model with Launch Control in almost real time. To ensure a wide range of high dynamic characteristics and the comfort for which the Macan is known, engineers used a PASM system with shock absorbers with dual valve technology, air suspension, electronically locking rear differential and, for the first time, a steering rear axle with a steering angle of up to five degrees.
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