Electric Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance due at Goodwood

Porsche has begun testing technology components of the Mission R with the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance, intending to premiere it at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the United Kingdom, June 23-26.

It will compete in the 1.9km hill-climb event, with its second outing on August 20 at the Porsche factory in Leipzig for the factory’s 20th anniversary where there’s a 3.7km circuit.

The two 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance demonstration vehicles will travel through various European countries before heading to North America in early 2023.

The world tour concludes in the Asia-Pacific region in mid-2024.

At the 2021 IAA Mobility event in Munich, the conceptual study outlined the vision of a fully electric GT racing car for customer motorsport, with the electric drive concept now demonstrating its potential on national and international racetracks.

The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance serves as a test vehicle.

Like the Mission R, the all-wheel-drive racer uses the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport model chassis. The entire electric motor and battery technology also comes from the IAA conceptual study, which in qualification mode translates to a maximum output of 735kW and more.

In simulated racing, a steady 450kW is available for 30 minutes (the duration of a Carrera Cup race). The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance is on par with the performance of the current 992-generation 911 GT3 Cup In terms of lap times and top speed.

“With the Mission R, we’ve shown how Porsche envisages sustainable customer motor racing in the future,” says GT racing vehicle project manager Matthias Scholz.

“The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance now demonstrates that this vision works impressively on the racetrack.”

In 2030, Porsche aims to be CO2 neutral across the entire value chain and life cycle of new cars sold, with more than 80% expected to be electric.

Like with the Mission R, the fully-electric drive train of the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance is based on a permanently excited synchronous machine (PESM) on the front and rear axles.

Together, they turn the racing car into an all-wheel-drive and can deliver a peak output of up to 800kW. The direct oil cooling of the e-motors and battery pack developed by Porsche counteracts thermally induced derating.

“The integration of oil cooling has significantly impacted the vehicle concept,” says GT4 ePerformance project manager Björn Förster.

Thanks to 900-volt technology, the state of charge (SoC) of the battery at full charging capacity jumps from 5% to 80% in about 15 minutes.

The racing car is 14 centimetres wider than a 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, and about 6000 parts were designed from scratch.

The body comprises natural fibre composite materials, among others, with the production intended to generate fewer emissions than the production of comparable synthetic materials.

Recycled carbon fibres are also used for testing purposes.

Compared to the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, the flared fenders allow more room for the wider 18-inch Michelin racing tyres with renewable materials forming a high proportion of the tyres.

Seven partners (DB Schenker, Mobil, TAG Heuer, Michelin, Hugo Boss, Puma and Hazet) will use the world tour as a platform to further advance the topic of sustainability with Porsche Motorsport.