Porsche Hybrid SUV Receives Larger Battery and Electric Drive

­Porsche’s electric ambitions could generously be called…humble, but give them credit – they’re trying. Amongst its myriad initiatives, the luxury automaker recently gave its hybrid Cayenne SUV a larger battery and electric drive.

For the uninitiated, Porsche wants 80% of its sales to be electric (hybrid or EV) by 2030, but Porsche and electricity go back a lot further than most realize. In fact, the very first Porsche was an electric contraption, the Egger-Lohner C.2 Phaeton, which resembled a motorized contraption.

In modern times, the Porshe Taycan was their first production-series EV, with more electric models on the way – including a Cayenne EV due roundabout 2026.

But between now and then, they’re hardly slacking. In 2018, they announced plans to install 500 charging stations across the U.S. When their Panamera Hybrid put a huge strain on battery suppliers, they’d eventually form a battery joint venture with CustomCells.

And now they’ve given their Cayenne SUV a huge boost – with the system output raised to 346 kW (along with the revised V6 petrol engine), the electric motor moving up to 130 kW, and the battery’s energy capacity going from 17.9 kWh to 25.9 kWh.

“It’s one of the most extensive product upgrades in the history of Porsche,” says Michael Schätzle, Vice President Product Line Cayenne.

Indeed, according to the company, the engine now generates 260 kW (353 PS) and 500 Nm, 10 kW (13 PS) and 50 Nm more than before, and it has a pure electric range of 90 km (about 56 miles).

And speaking of charging – “A new 11 kW on-board charger now shortens the charging time at an appropriate power source to less than two and a half hours despite the increased battery capacity.”