Search for differences

Technology: Porsche Macan E 2024 - Search for differences

Ingolstadt and Zuffenhausen - even though Audi and Porsche reside under the same corporate roof, this is not always a love affair. Now the cost pressure of electric mobility, and therefore the Group's rationale, is forcing the two carmakers to pull together. The result is the Premium Electric platform on which both the Audi Q6 e-tron and the Porsche Macan are based. As an electric SUV no longer has such distinguishing features as a boxer engine, it will be difficult to differentiate between them. At least until the technology relatives can compete against each other in the series version. In the Porsche Taycan and the Audi e-tron GT, which also share the same architecture, the engineers have at least managed to tune the two vehicles differently.

This should also be possible with the Q6 e-tron and Macan. Especially as Porsche will be serving both ends of the automotive food chain with the entry-level and top-of-the-range versions of the Macan at market launch in the second half of 2024. The power version will have a system output of around 450 kW / 612 PS and a torque in excess of 1,000 Newton meters. It is worth taking a closer look at this version. In contrast to the entry-level version, this Macan is equipped with the performance rear end, which is initially only available from Porsche. As the Zuffenhausen-based company emphasizes. It remains to be seen whether an Audi Q6 e-tron RS will also use this component. Thanks to this design in combination with the very compact electric motors, Porsche engineers were able to install rear-axle steering in a Macan for the first time, which turns the wheels at a maximum of five degrees. The all-wheel drive, in which the rear axle is in command and the front axle is only engaged when required, is a perfect match. The controlled differential lock in the differential is exclusive to the Top Macan E and the engineers in Zuffenhausen have also invested a great deal of development work in the front axle steering.

In the Top Macan with Preformance rear axle, the rear axle motor is not only larger than in the basic version (230 millimetres in diameter, active length 210 millimetres as opposed to 210 millimetres and 200 millimetres in the entry-level version), but is also rotated horizontally by 180 degrees. This places the heavy elements at the rear and ensures a rear-heavy axle load distribution of 48 (front) to 52. A smaller PSM (permanently excited synchronous electric motor) with a diameter of 210 millimetres and a length of 100 millimetres is installed at the front of both models. The electric motors are PSMs because, although they are somewhat more expensive, they can be regulated more quickly and are so thermally stable that they enable a high continuous output. The pulse inverter, in which silicon carbide (SiC) is used on the rear axle instead of silicon (front axle), also contributes to this. This increases efficiency and performance. "There has been a major development step in power electronics," summarizes Porsche Macan Powertrain Manager Antoon Janssen. The maximum recuperation output of 240 kW is also quite respectable. This corresponds to a deceleration of around 4.3 m/s2.

With the battery, which has a capacity of 100 kilowatt hours, the cards are once again clearly stacked in favor of uniformity. Which is no bad thing with 800-volt technology, which has already helped Porsche achieve fast charging times in the Taycan. The battery consists of twelve modules with prismatic cells, in which the cobalt content has been reduced by around 60 percent. The battery is designed so that each module, including the cell module controller, can be replaced. The control unit can even be accessed from inside the vehicle and can therefore be replaced.

Refueling does not suffer as a result: At its peak, 270 kW of electricity should flow into the batteries. However, it is not the top speed that counts when charging, but the plateau, i.e. the consistency with which the electricity flows into the energy storage system as quickly as possible. The Zuffenhausen-based company promises fast charging times thanks to the conditioning of the battery, which begins up to 30 minutes before refueling. Among other things, a six-kilowatt high-voltage heater should ensure that the cells are kept at the right temperature during the cold season. In less than 22 minutes, the battery charge level should increase from ten to 80 percent. On a direct current fast charger!

The situation is different with alternating current. When the Macan is connected to an AC charging station, a maximum of 11 kW of current flows into the battery. You can certainly expect 22 kW from a premium electric car, especially as not everyone has their own wallbox and a blocking fee often applies after four hours of charging. A full charge time of nine to ten hours is not exactly useful. It doesn't help that the Integrated Power Box (IPB) combines three components - the on-board AC charger, the high-voltage heater and the DC/DC converter - in one compact unit.

When it comes to infotainment, Porsche benefits from the Group's unity, as the Macan E will feature a head-up display with augmented reality for the first time, which projects an 87-inch screen ten meters in front of the car. Since 85 percent of Porsche drivers use an iPhone, Apple CarPlay is mandatory, even if the software is based on Android Automotive and therefore Google Maps can soon also be displayed in the instrument cluster. Porsche has developed the voice assistant with 23 languages (six of which are new) itself and now the front passenger can also have their say when talking to the infotainment system, as seat-based voice recognition is possible. The new openness of the Zuffenhausen entertainment industry also includes the fact that apps from third-party providers such as Spotify provide entertainment.