► New electric Porsche Boxster spied
► Latest on next 718 Cayman/Boxster EVs
► Sports cars confirmed for 2025
Porsche is busy preparing its battery-powered successor to the 718 Boxster and Cayman sports car duo for launch in 2025 – and here it is, charging up at a Tesla Supercharger in Sweden.
It’s our first look at the charging set-up on the roadster and coupe: a centrally mounted flap in the rear bumper swings open to reveal its Type 2 plug, making it easier to use chargers on the left or right-hand side. Note also the DC fast-charging plug below.
Porsche engineers are busy putting the sports cars through their paces in harsh winter conditions, as they grapple with low temperatures affecting battery performance, durability in cold climes and handling prowess in all weathers.
CEO Oliver Blume announced that the electric sports cars will be revealed ‘by the middle of the decade’ at the brand’s 2023 annual press conference. He also announced that the electric 718 Boxster and Cayman twins will ‘run in parallel’ to petrol versions.
Engineers are testing the EV powertrain underpinning the next generation of thrillseekers in northern Sweden. Our paparazzo reported these latest spy pictures were taken in -23C, tough conditions for any electric car.
Although still heavily disguised, it’s possible to make out the traditional sports car silhouette of these hard-working prototypes. We expect the mid-engined look and format to continue, despite the clean-sheet possibilities of its electric architecture – suggesting that Porsche isn’t about to abandon its heartland just yet.
New 2025 electric Porsche Boxster: what to expect
Strip away the camouflage and you’ll find striking details linking the new e-Boxster to its all-electric Taycan and next Macan siblings. Items like light graphics, the absence of an exhaust pipe and, of course, silent propulsion all give the game away.
Our artist’s have already depicted what the electric Cayman could look like, based on a new EV architecture, which is likely to offer a mix of rear- or all-wheel drive depending on whether buyers choose a single or dual-motor option.
CAR’s sources suggest that twin-motor electric Boxsters will boast up to 400bhp, although Porsche will be keen to keep some clear water between its junior sports cars and its evergreen 911.
The company has already shown the Mission R concept car to showcase what a compact electric sports car could look like, albeit it in track form. Explaining the mid-engined look, it packaged the batteries behind the two seats ahead of the rear axle in what Porsche calls E-Core – to allow for a low-slung seating position rather than a tip-toe stance common on many EVs.
Electric Porsche sports cars: the origins
We’ve been following this story for years and it’s been a long gestation. Back in the early throes of Covid lockdown, CAR magazine spoke to the R&D bosses about the project. Dr Michael Steiner said in March 2020: ‘We are running several electrified Boxsters to gain expertise and knowledge to see how an electric car performs as a two-door.
‘The acoustic sound doesn’t really play that huge a role with a GT like the Taycan and adding weight is ok,’ he added. ‘But the additional weight for a sports car, we are not satisfied with today. This is one of the reasons why our next electric car will be a small SUV not a two-door sports car.’
That’s the new 2023 Macan, the second EV to hail from Porsche.
Porsche Taycan electric car review
Steiner (above) said that improved battery technology was needed for an electric Porsche sports car. ‘If there was a breakthrough in battery technology, something like solid-state batteries – this direction would trigger a two-door sports car fully electrified. But I do not see in the first half of this decade a good chance of a breakthrough in battery technology.
‘We will see step-by-step incremental benefit with lithium-ion batteries. We predict a 2-3% improvement year-by-year in lithium-ion battery improvement. I am still not happy with the weight, though.’
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What will happen to today’s Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman?
The current, mostly four-cylinder 718 twins will have to soldier on until mid-decade in their current forms. Expect special editions and tweaks to keep the Boxster and Cayman selling until the advent of their electric successors.
Porsche and Rimac: how future sports cars will be developed
Porsche’s investment in Rimac is a big deal for its future electrified cars.
While the start-up has had little to do with the Taycan, the first project to come from Stuttgart’s Croatian venture will be the electric Macan then further development with the small sports car project.
Will the 911 also go electric?
Porsche execs understand that the time may come for a fully-electric 911, but they don’t want to go messing with a 60-year old icon just yet. Expect hybridisation options, but the job of pioneering a fully electric Porsche sports car will fall to the 718 successor.
Lutz Meschke, deputy chairman of Porsche AG, said: ‘In the sports car segment we have to think about the pure electric car. With the 911 it will be a bit difficult, but for the 718 I think it could be a very good step for the future, on a completely new platform we can then discuss to share with other brands.’
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