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The new Porsche GT4 ePerformance demonstrated its capabilities for the first time in front of an audience at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The show runs on the approximately 1,9-kilometer hill climb in Lord March Park in the southern English county of West Sussex also served as a prelude to the GT4 ePerformance world tour for the all-electric GT racing car. It is intended to take the innovative test vehicle to other stations in Germany and beyond over the next two years. The aim is to show motorsport customer teams, partners and decision-makers from the racing scene the potential of the progressive vehicle concept and the possibilities of the racing formats associated with it.
Porsche GT4 ePerformance
The GT4 ePerformance relies on the technology components of the Mission R. With this concept study, Porsche presented the vision of a fully electric GT racing vehicle for future customer motorsport at the IAA MOBILITY 2021 in Munich. Both are based on the chassis of the well-known 718 GT4 Clubsport model. The test vehicle's electric motor and battery technology also comes from the Mission R. This means maximum performance in qualification mode of up to 800 kW (1.088 hp).
In simulated racing, 450 kW (612 hp) are permanently available for 30 minutes – i.e. the length of a Carrera Cup race. In terms of lap time performance and top speed, the GT4 ePerformance is based on the current 911 GT3 Cup of the 992 generation. Thanks to 900 volt technology, the storage level of the battery can be increased from five to 15 percent SoC (State of Charge/ State of charge) shoot up.
“The Festival of Speed is really impressive: a huge folk festival for car enthusiasts and a motorsport Mecca like no other in Europe,” emphasizes Porsche works driver Richard Lietz from Austria, who drove the all-electric test vehicle at Goodwood. “I already knew the GT4 ePerformance from the test drives. It's extremely fast and it's a lot of fun to drive - that's how I can imagine the electrically powered customer sport racing car of the future. Its aerodynamics are aimed at efficiency, because the car should be able to cover complete race distances. He's more at home on the circuit than on a hill climb like here at Goodwood. That’s why a driving time of 45,50 seconds and second place in the overall standings fully meets our expectations.”
approx. 6.000 parts redesigned
Porsche redesigned around 6.000 parts for the GT4 ePerformance. Its shapes come from a team from Porsche Style led by designer Grant Larson. The body consists, among other things, of natural fiber composite materials, the production of which is said to generate fewer emissions than the production of comparable synthetic materials. Recycled carbon fibers are also used on a test basis. Thanks to the flared fenders, the racing car is 14 centimeters wider than a 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. They make room for even wider 18-inch Michelin racing tires, which have a particularly high proportion of renewable materials.
“The GT4 ePerformance points the way to Porsche customer sport with electrically powered racing vehicles. As a first step, we will present this concept to our partners worldwide,” says Oliver Schwab, Project Manager Sales for the GT4 ePerformance. "Together with drivers, teams, organizers, authorities and other interested parties, we are also collecting ideas for future Porsche racing formats."
The GT4 ePerformance Tour
After its world premiere at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the GT4 ePerformance will head for other international stations. Each one follows a special motto. The world-famous automobile meeting in southern England was all about Porsche's motorsport tradition. The Porsche plant in Leipzig is on the agenda for August 20, 2022. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, it features a 3,7-kilometer circuit that quotes famous sections of world-renowned racetracks. In the Saxon metropolis, the all-electric racing car prototype is intended to focus on the potential of its business model.
Michelin racing tires consist of 53 percent sustainable materials
Michelin provides ePerformance racing tires for the purely electrically powered Porsche GT4, which consist of 53 percent bio-based or recycled materials. The sustainably obtained raw materials also include natural rubber and soot, which are recovered from used tires using a special processing method by the partner company Enviro. Other ingredients are based on orange and lemon peel, pine resin and sunflower oil, as well as metallic residues.
The racing tires specially developed by Michelin for the GT4 ePerformance should reduce their environmental impact over the entire period of use, from development, the production phase and shipping to use and recycling. By 2050, Michelin wants to make all tires exclusively from sustainable materials. As early as 2030, their share in the production of the group of companies should reach 40 percent.
GT4 ePerformance Tour – the partners
The purely electric prototype is going on a world tour with the support of seven partners. All companies involved see the tour as a platform to further advance the topic of sustainability together with Porsche Motorsport. DB Schenker is new on board. The world's leading provider of global logistics services is contributing, among other things, with sustainable transport services. The long-standing cooperation partner ExxonMobil is involved through its Mobil brand through joint developments in the field of coolants and lubricants for the racing car. TAG Heuer, the Swiss manufacturer of luxury watches, is supporting this and other Porsche Motorsport projects as a timing partner.
As a long-standing technology partner of Porsche Motorsport, Michelin is developing particularly sustainable racing tires for the GT4 ePerformance. The fashion company Hugo Boss is outfitting the team. The sports lifestyle brand Puma contributes the fireproof clothing for drivers and mechanics. The crew's tools come from the official outfitter Hazet.
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Public world premiere of the GT4 ePerformance at the Festival of Speed
Photo credit: Porsche
