Porsche Cayenne Electric
Appeared at the Hill Climb before the official announcement
Although the debut date has not yet been announced, the Cayenne Electric has begun road testing around the world, and as part of this, it will now participate in a hill climb race.
Porsche is working on a fully electric Cayenne as its second electric SUV following the Macan. Based on the unique versatility that the Cayenne has inherited since its debut, development and testing is underway to refine its performance, practicality, comfort during long-distance driving, and off-road capabilities. As part of this video project, a pre-debut prototype was brought to the UK.
The setting for the event was the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb, one of the world’s most traditional races, which has been held since 1905. The Cayenne Electric Prototype, which is almost a production model, took part in the filming project while also taking part in the hill climb race.
The carefully camouflaged Cayenne Electric was driven by Gabriela Zilkova, the Formula E team’s simulator and development driver. Zilkova sprinted up the 1,000-yard (914-meter) asphalt hill, just 3.5 meters wide, with a maximum gradient of 16.7%, and on her first attempt, she smashed the previous record for an SUV by more than four seconds. After completing the drive, Zilkova commented:
“The Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb is a difficult course with no room for error. There are no run-off areas and very little room for steering corrections. But thanks to the active suspension, the new Cayenne was extremely stable and precise, allowing me to drive with confidence at all times.”
Incredible acceleration that rivals that of a racing car
The Cayenne Electric passed the first measurement point, 18.3 metres from the start, in 1.94 seconds, demonstrating astonishing acceleration performance that approaches that of a racing car.
The Cayenne Electric is equipped with Porsche Active Ride, a system developed by Porsche for SUVs. The advanced active suspension keeps the body level at all times, even during steering, braking and acceleration. The wheel load is also evenly distributed, ensuring perfect contact with the road surface.
“With Porsche Active Ride, the new Cayenne significantly expands the range from an emphasis on driving dynamics to an emphasis on ride comfort,” explains Michael Schätzle, head of Cayenne development.
At the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb, the car not only astounded competitors with its record time of 31.28 seconds, but also with its acceleration, crossing the first time-keeping point, 60 yards (18.3 m) from the start line, in just 1.94 seconds – a time that was only ever achieved by a single-seater racing car built for hill climb racing.
The Cayenne Electric, fitted with commercial summer tires, is already demonstrating astonishing performance, even while still in the development stage. It is currently undergoing final testing and adjustment before being introduced to the market. Schätzle is confident in the car’s perfection, saying, “This record-breaking driving force and equipment have already reached production level.”
In addition to the BEV model, the company also announced the development of an ICE model.
Porsche is currently continuing to develop fully electric models, but has once again stated that it will continue to develop internal combustion engine (ICE) and hybrid models.
British TV presenter Richard Hammond used a camouflaged prototype to transport a classic car from his workshop in Hereford to his garage as part of a film project, and Hammond says the Cayenne handled the job with ease, even though the trailer and car together weighed around three tonnes.
The Cayenne Electric will be the world’s first electric vehicle with a towing capacity of up to 3.5 tonnes. Just like the current internal combustion engine model, it already meets all the relevant homologation requirements. “The Cayenne’s high level of practicality has always been highly valued by customers, and we didn’t want to make any compromises in the development of the new model,” added Schätzle.
“For the next decade and more, Porsche customers will have access to powerful and efficient combustion engine and hybrid models. We have made the decision to continue developing the current generation at great expense. But as we have shown in the UK, this level of performance is only possible through electrification. The fully electric Cayenne will set new standards without compromising on everyday usability and practicality.”
Following its record-breaking performance at Shelsley Walsh, the Cayenne Electric will also be shown to the public in the UK: a highly visible camouflaged prototype will be on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from 10-13 July 2025.
