Already officially announced, the all-electric Boxster won’t debut until 2025. Nevertheless, Porsche has repeatedly been seen testing sporty convertibles without the combustion engine. What makes this new set of images different is that the 718 EV has now been caught by paparazzi cold weather testing a car near the Arctic Circle. We were told that the temperature dropped to -25°C (-13°F), which is less than ideal conditions for an electric car.
The prototype appears to have a mix of old and new parts, some hiding under body-colored camouflage. Like the Taycan and 2024 Macan EV test vehicles, Porsche decided to have fun and added a faux exhaust tip in the middle of the rear bumper, under the license plate. The shape tells us that the guys from Zuffenhausen tried to emulate the basic look of the Boxster. The proportion of mid-engine 718 is still there even though the ICE has been removed.
Last year’s Mission R concept provided an early look into Porsche’s electric cabrio design. Admittedly, it’s more like a Cayman EV for the track, but some of the design cues will likely be inherited by the running duo of 718s. Porsche says the zero-emissions engine will ride on a special platform but with some parts from other cars.
The Mission R sits on a modified chassis adapted from the current Cayman. However, rest assured the next 718 EV will represent an entirely new development as Porsche says it will not carry any hardware over the petrol model. By the way, ICE-powered vehicles are expected to be retired in 2025 when their electric successors are scheduled to arrive. With the Macan, the German brand is doing things differently as the crossover will be sold for a while with both drive types.
Weight is always a concern with performance cars, and EVs are notoriously heavy. However, the Mission R weighs around 1,500 kilograms (3,306 pounds), making it only about 85 kg (187 pounds) heavier than the Cayman GT4 RS. It had a dual-motor configuration, meaning a potential entry-level variant with a single electric motor would be slightly lighter.
Hopefully, it won’t add too much weight from concept to production. With advances made in energy density, the heavy penalty caused by batteries will be kept under control. The 718 Boxster/Cayman EV will not be an experiment to test the waters for an electric sports car, but rather a stepping stone towards an ambitious goal. Porsche projects that 80 percent of annual sales by the end of the decade will be generated by vehicles without ICE.
