Porsche Boxster E: Electric Boxster revealed

Porsche Boxster E - the electric Boxster

Last year we reported that Porsche had plans to build a trio of electric Boxsters and send them out to play, to act as a rolling laboratory for all things ‘Electric Car’.

At the time, Porsche told us the electric Boxsters would be ready ‘early next year’. Here we are, six weeks in to the New Year, and we get details of the Porsche Boxster E ahead of a reveal at Geneva in a couple of weeks. German efficiency again.

When we talked to Porsche last year, they told us that these three Boxster E models were to be part of a programme called Modellregion Elektromobilität, designed to see what electric motors and battery power could bring to future Porsches.

The Porsche Boxster E features a pair of electric motors which receive power from a 29kWh battery bank and can produce around 240bhp. That should give the Boxster E performance similar performance to an ICE Boxster – around 5.5 seconds to 60mph – but a much lower top speed and relatively short range

The electric test beds are entirely complimentary to the Porsche Hybrid programme although, unlike the Porsche Hybrids which are already scheduled to roll out (we’ve already got the Cayenne S Hybrid and the Panamera S Hybrid will be at Geneva), there are no plans for an electric Porsche anytime soon.

In fact, Porsche told us that they would not build an electric Porsche unless it offered both performance and range comparable to an ICE car. Which means it’s going to be a some time – if it ever happens at all – before Porsche rolls out a plug-in Porsche.

Elon Musk just breathed a big sigh of relief.

By Cars UK