Regarding its transition to 100% electricityPorsche is better than its competitors. For several years, the sports division of the Volkswagen concern has resolutely taken up this task. And this without waiting for pressure from Brussels. Indeed, although Maserati has recently ventured into its own Gran Turismo FolgoreAston Martin and McLaren are still looking for a strategy to adopt. In 2019, Porsche launched its first fully electric model, the Taycan. This four-door sedan aims to compete with Tesla, so its silhouette is sedan rather than purely sporty. It was developed in collaboration with Audi. It shares its J1 platform with the e-tron GT, Audi’s current electric flagship. But more than multiplying models, Porsche aims to improve progress in electrification…

800 V architecture on board their cars

The main obstacle to the rapid democratization of this technology: autonomy and charging speed. The manufacturer has already been ahead of the curve by offering an 800V architecture on its Taycan. And not 400 V, as in most competitors. Going from 400 to 800 V doubles the battery output. A configuration that allows as much to speed up the charging speed on the terminals that increase the power of the electric motor.

To obtain an equivalent power of 400 V, it would be necessary (and that’s what Tesla is doing right now) double the size of the cables to support more intensity. Significant space limitations for an electric vehicle. Audi, hyundai AND Kia already use such a battery architecture. It is currently limited rather a premium make and model. In addition to this architecture, Porsche wants to get to grips with the very composition of its batteriesto make them spit out maximum autonomy.

Change the composition of the battery to increase autonomy

Used batteries currently at Porsche and at most manufacturers, belong to the lithium-ion type. The electric current leaves the two poles “+” and “-” of the battery (called anode and cathode) and passes through the aqueous solution. It is precisely these anodes that Porsche wants to develop. Currently made of graphite, the manufacturer wants to replace them with silicon. This makes it possible to store more energy and accelerate the diffusion of ions in the battery cells. In other words, improved battery life and faster recharge times.

Porsche is working on this topic with a German company. According to his predictions, his first model equipped with such a battery could travel 1,300 kilometers on a single charge. Of course, this will be the first model of a very high class, and therefore very expensive. For the manufacturer, this decision seems the most acceptable in the short term, pending the maturity of solid-state batteries which should offer the best autonomy/charging time ratio. How many years later such a model will be able to see the world is still unknown.