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One of the numerous criticisms levied by electric-vehicle skeptics — I’ll refrain from calling them “dinosaurs” despite the fact the fuel they worship originates from dem bones — is that an EV powertrain lacks the complexity and nuances of their revered internal-combustion engine. Electric motors, inverters, and batteries, they contend, simply don’t lend themselves to the kind of tuning, engineering, and tweaking that an ICE engine does.

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Well, let me introduce you, and them, to the 2024 Porsche Macan EV. When it arrives in Canada next year, it will be the German automaker’s second all-electric vehicle, but unlike the clean-sheet Taycan sport sedan, the Macan EV is derived from an existing model, the gas-powered Macan, which celebrates the 10th anniversary of its debut this year. That model has been wildly successful for Porsche, achieving top-selling model status six out of the seven years between 2015 and 2022. And approximately 80 per cent of Macan buyers are first-time Porsche customers.

Before we deep-dive into some of the remarkable engineering in the Macan EV, let’s cover some of the numbers underpinning this luxury sport crossover, which will be built in rear- and all-wheel-drive versions, but only set to hit Canada with AWD at the moment. The capacity of the lithium-ion battery is 100 kWh; peak power is 603 horsepower and 738 lbs-ft of torque; the 800-volt technology achieves a charging capacity of up to 270 kW; and full-charge range, according to Porsche, will be north of 500 kilometres.

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“Along with reproducible, characteristic Porsche performance values, our most important development targets included long-range capability and high-performance fast charging,” Jörg Kerner, the vice-president of the Macan line-up, said during a tech presentation Driving attended recently at the Porsche Experience Center in Leipzig, Germany. Just 100 yards from the center is the factory that builds the gas-powered Macan and the Panamera, and which will also produce the Macan EV.

Porsche has worked with Audi in developing an architecture for its all-electrics moving forward. Called the Premium Platform Electric (PPE), it is designed to enable high-volume production and serve as an adaptable platform for years to come. The Taycan did not use the PPE, but Porsche engineers did debut permanently excited synchronous electric motors (PSM) and 800-volt technology in that model, and this technology migrates over to the Macan EV. However, all the components have been tweaked to weigh less and take up less space.

Also saving weight and space is the clever design of an Integrated Power Box (IPB) that contains the on-board AC charger, the high-voltage heater, and the DC/DC converter. And finally on that compact-design ethos, instead of the traditional one large gear wheel in the single-speed transmission, the Macan EV uses two smaller wheels for two-stage gearing.

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The power electronics have been improved for power output and charging optimization. One big advancement has been achieved by using silicon carbide instead of silicon as the semiconductor material in the rear axle’s pulse inverter. According to Porsche engineers, this significantly reduces switching losses in the inverter and enables higher switching frequencies.

That aforementioned 100-kWh battery features 12 modules with prismatic cells, with a mixing ratio of nickel, cobalt, and manganese of 8:1:1. According to Porsche, the battery can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in less than 22 minutes at a fast-charging station, and if said station utilizes 400-volt technology, the Macan activates a unique feature called “bank charging” that divides the battery pack into two 400-volt units connected in parallel. The result is a faster charge time.

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Yet another industry-first engineering breakthrough involves the latest generation Porsche Stability Management, system which has been adapted to the all-electric powertrain. First off, and for maximum power density, the water jacket cooling has been improved compared to that of the Taycan.

And then there is optimization of the double-V lamination (warned you this was a deep dive). This involves how the magnets are arranged within the electric-motor rotors, and how the stators of the wires are wound. Instead of using the traditional needle winding method, the engineers developed a so-called “hairpin” method for the front-axle motor. The result is an increase in the copper filling level of the grooves, which translates to a more efficient motor.

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Speaking of efficiency, the recuperation system of the Macan EV is mighty, with Porsche claiming up to 240 kW can be achieved thanks to some interesting mechanical workings. Depending on how much pressure the driver applies to the brake pedal, in conjunction with the temperature and state of charge of the battery, if the desired deceleration is greater than the power that can currently be absorbed via recuperation, the hydraulic brake is applied. And fine adjustments through so-called “blending” take place without any noticeable change to the vehicle’s behaviour.

And, like the Taycan, the Macan EV automatically goes into “coast” mode when the driver eases off the accelerator pedal but does not actively brake. This adds to the efficiency as the drive unit is completely switched off or, at higher speeds, put into zero-torque-control mode, which allows the Macan EV to glide as far as possible without using any energy. And then there’s something called “thrust recuperation,” which corresponds approximately to the deceleration generated by engine drag torque, commonly referred to as “engine braking” in conventional drive systems.

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This being an all-new Porsche, there are also a few driving dynamic advancements, notably surrounding steering and suspension, and possible due to the PPE packaging.

First and foremost is rear-wheel steering, a first in a Macan model, and one that seeks to solve that age-old dilemma of agile and nimble city driving in contrast to precise highway performance. At speeds of up to around 80 km/h, the rear wheels steer in the opposite direction to the front wheels, which reduces the turning radius by a full metre. This essentially reduces the wheelbase, and therefore also translates to tighter and more responsive cornering. When the Macan EV exceeds 80 km/h, the rear wheels lock in place with the front wheels, which conversely extends the wheelbase and thus improves high-speed stability.

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There’s also been a marked improvement in what the driver feels through the steering wheel, particularly on uneven terrain. The in-house system identifies and amplifies important steering information for the driver, such as the surface characteristics of the road and the grip capability of the tires. And vibrations and bumps are dampened almost to the point of elimination.

Another form of damper control comes from the Porsche Active Suspension Management electronic damper control that comes standard on air suspension-equipped models and as an option of steel-suspension models.

This system reacts to and accounts for the condition of the road while also taking into consideration the speed, longitudinal and lateral acceleration, accelerator actuation, steering input, and the ride-height setting of the vehicles. And the former single-valve shock absorbers have been replaced with two-valve technology, which allows for the rebound and compression level to be individually controlled. This makes it possible to switch between performance and comfort at lightning speed and apply the maximum damping force in both directions.

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Another example of how an electric platform can do things an ICE platform can’t is the Macan EV’s performance rear end, with the electric motor positioned quite far back to create a slightly rear-focused weight balance of a ratio of 48 to 52 per cent front-rear. Working with the dynamic torque distribution of the all-wheel-drive and the rear-axle steering, the electric motors on the rear axle provide powerful yet stable acceleration out of corners.

As much as the Macan EV incorporates so much next-gen technological advancements, there are also some tried-and-true Porsche attributes. That includes the classic staggered wheel setup, where the wheel widths on the front and rear axles differ significantly to accommodate and take advantage of that rear-focused weight distribution. Wheel sizes of up to 22 inches will be available.

During the tech presentation, we did get the opportunity to do a track and off-road ride-along drive in some pre-production Macan EVs, and from what I felt in the driver’s seat, particularly on the track, the thing was quintessential Porsche. Very fast, very nimble, and with very stable braking, the 2024 Macan EV is sure to continue that sales success its ICE counterpart has charted in the past decade. Who knows? Some of those dinosaurs, er, skeptics, might even be impressed.