Porsche 718 Boxster electric prototype spotted testing

What appears to be a Porsche 718 Boxster electric prototype was spotted testing ahead of the unveiling of the next generation of the sports car.

For those unfamiliar with Porsche’s lineup, the 718 Cayman and Boxster are the cheaper sports cars in the automaker’s lineup, starting at around $60,000.

The current generation of 718 was introduced in 2016, and Porsche is due to move to the next generation in 2025.

With Porsche’s aggressive electrification plans, it seemed likely that the automaker would decide to make the next generation all-electric.

However, back in 2019, then Porsche CEO Oliver Blume had concerns about making the smaller sports car, which is known to be light, electric due to how the weight of the battery would affect driving performance.

But after a few years of debating it, Porsche finally confirmed that the next generation will have all-electric versions.

Now a prototype of an electric Porsche 218 Boxster has been spotted testing in Germany:

The vehicle appears to be equipped with an electric powertrain with a test mule body that still features an exhaust pipe, but the sounds of the vehicle’s acceleration are unmistakably battery-powered.

Not much else can be ascertained from the vehicle’s design, which appears to be more of a test mule for the powertrain.

We should start to learn about the Porsche Boxster electric directly from Porsche soon since the German automaker reportedly plans to launch it with the next generation launching in 2025.

Electrek’s Take

It’s going to be interesting to see what direction Porsche goes with an electric 718. Considering the model is known for its light weight, starting under 3,000 lb. and enabling incredible handling, it will be interesting to see if the automaker decides to make some compromises on the size of the battery pack in order to maintain a lower weight and stay closer to what the model is known for.

That’s really the most interesting part, because aside from the weight and, consequently, the handling, an electric powertrain shouldn’t be an obstacle to Porsche pushing 718 performances higher with the next generation. If anything, it’s going to help.