Prototypes Of The Fully Electric Macan, Rolling Out Into The Real World From Its Digital Domain

Ready for the real world, prototypes of the next generation fully electric Porsche Macan can be seen leaving the digital testing ground at the Porsche development centre in Weissach, for the first time.

Porsche AG’s member of the board of management and development Michael Steiner said, "Testing in a proper environment begins and is one of the most important milestones in the development process".

Primarily before the Macan gets its time out in the real world, it has gone through rigorous digital development and testing regime.

Explaining further, through this process, instead of using real versions of the fully electric Porsche Macan, the engineers use digital prototypes. It involves computer models that reproduce the properties, systems and assemblies of the Macan with high accuracy.

In the overall development, there were 20 digital prototypes for simulations. It compiles various development categories, such as aerodynamics, energy management, operation and acoustics.

According to the company, the new methods they have put the development of the Macan under enables a very precise simulation of aerodynamics and thermodynamics.

Particularly for this fully electric Macan, the electric drive system from the battery to the motor requires a completely independent concept of cooling and temperature control, which differs significantly from that of a vehicle with a conventional drive.

Meaning, while the regular internal combustion engines aim for a temperature window of 90 to 120 degrees, the electric drive, power electronics and the high-voltage battery requires a range between 20 and 70 degrees, depending on the component.

Other than that, these digital prototypes can tele with the real-world situations at an early stage. As a result, the development of a completely new display and operating concept called the seat box came into fruition.

With it, test drivers are not only the experts themselves but also test subjects from outside the field. In this way, all interactions between driver and vehicle can be examined and optimized in a targeted manner, down to the smallest detail.

Steiner added, "Endurance testing on closed proving grounds and on public roads under real conditions is still indispensable in order to ensure the vehicle structure, the operational stability and the reliability of hardware, software and all functions according to our high-quality standards".

Additionally, the challenging test program under climatic and topographical boundary conditions for the fully electric Macan includes disciplines such as charging and conditioning of the high-voltage battery. 

Also, according to Porsche’s development director, the fully electric Macan with its 800-volt architecture will offer typical Porsche e-performance, just like the Taycan.

Then, he also stated that it will come with a range suitable for long journeys, high-performance fast charging and reproducible best-in-class performance values.

All things considered, the market launch of the fully electric Porsche Macan has been set for 2023 and it will be the first of their vehicles to be built on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE).

Steiner concluded, “By the time the fully electric Macan is launched on the market in 2023, around three million test kilometres will have to be completed under various conditions worldwide and the prototype already contains experience from countless of test kilometres driven in the virtual space”.