1,073hp Electric 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance Brings Mission R A Step Closer To Reality

Porsche has taken a step closer to producing an all-electric sports car with the 718 GT4 ePerformance. A combustion-engined 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport converted into a fully driveable dual-motor, all-wheel drive electric prototype, it’s a testbed both for a future one-make race series, and the 718 Boxster and Cayman EV road cars that land in 2025.

The ePerformance moves the story on from last year’s Mission R concept. The 1,073 hp (1,088 PS) R gave us clues to how the next generation of road and race cars would look, and outlined the kind of powertrains they might use. But although it was a working concept, journalists testing the R were limited to around 80 mph (128 km/h). The ePerformance, though, was built to be thrashed with no limits placed on how hard.

Read: New Porsche Mission R Is A 1,073 HP Electric Racing Car That Hints At Future Cayman

Like the Mission R, the GT4 ePerformance is all-wheel drive thanks to the presence of an electric motor fitted at each end of the car. They deliver a peak output of 800 kW (1,073 hp/1,088 PS), though Porsche gives the maximum power in qualification mode as 735 kW (986 hp/1,000 hp), and says drivers can expect 450 kW (604 hp/612 PS) of constant power for 30 minutes during racing. In terms of laps times, Porsche says the ePerformance is as quick as a gas-engined 911 GT3 cup car.

Anyone who’s driven an EV quickly knows how monstering the right pedal decimates driving range, but Porsche says drivers can bank on that power lasting 30 minutes before the battery needs topped up. That top-up, or an 5-80 percent fill to be precise, takes 15 minutes thanks to 900 volt charging tech. Which isn’t exactly going to set any pit-stop records compared with gas cars, but does suggest road car charging times could fall soon.

Though the ePerformance is based on the 718 GT4 Clubsport, it features 6,000 parts designed form scratch. The body is made from natural fiber composite materials, and is 5.5 in (140 mm) wider than the stock car’s to allow room for wider 18 in Michelin racing tires that are partly constructed using recycled materials.

Videos of the ePerformance in action reveal that it’s far from silent under full load, and if you’re at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June you’ll be able to see and hear it for yourself when it climbs the 1.2 mile (1.9 km) hill before embarking on a world demo tour that starts in Europe, hits the U.S. in early 2023, and finishes up in Asia in 2024. By which time Porsche should be just about ready to show us a production EV racer, and more importantly, the all-new Boxster and Cayman electric sports cars you’ll be able to buy in 2025.