Porsche has been testing the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport with an electric powertrain

Porsche has been testing the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport with the electric powertrain from the Mission R racing concept.

Clubsport is the Cayman’s motorsport version, and in this ‘ePerformance’ configuration the 419bhp, 3.8-litre petrol engine has been replaced by electric motors on the front and rear axle.

The result is all-wheel drive and a peak output of 1,073bhp, however in simulated racing it has been detuned to 603bhp. As a result, the batteries last for 30 minutes, which is the length of a Porsche Carrera Cup race.

In this configuration, the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance is said to have similar lap times and top speed to the 992-generation 911 GT3 Cup car.

Direct oil cooling of the motors and battery pack help to keep temperatures low, meaning that full performance is always on offer. A typical issue encountered by electric performance cars is overheating, which reduces power.

There have also been styling changes for the electric GT4. It is 14cm wider than the regular Clubsport while production of the bodywork, which is made from natural fibre composite materials, is intended to reduce emissions compared with synthetic equivalents.

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

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

“We’re very excited about the response because a one-make cup with electric racing cars would be an important addition to our existing customer racing programme.”

Porsche is aiming to be CO2 neutral across the entire value chain and life cycle of new cars sold by 2030, by which time it aims to have electric powertrains in 80 per cent if its vehicles.