Porsche has opted not to use one-pedal driving in its current EVs, and that won’t change with electric sports cars due to replace the current gasoline 718 Boxster and Cayman.
It’s all about giving the driver more control and confidence, Porsche research and development boss Michael Steiner said in a recent interview with Autocar.
“If you ask any race driver, none would choose a one-pedal system because you should have control of recuperation and braking on the same pedal as seamlessly as possible,” Steiner said. “In cornering, if you don’t have the right feeling on the pedal, you don’t have trust in the stability of the car.”
2025 Porsche 718
Porsche’s current strategy, as seen in the Taycan and Macan Electric, taps into regenerative braking only with the brake pedal. This is more efficient, the automaker argues, because it makes better use of built-up kinetic energy for deceleration. Steiner reiterated that point here, while adding that Porsche’s approach gives the driver greater control and awareness.
“If you have all the braking on the brake pedal, then you as the driver can do the modulation you need—and also feel the reaction of the tarmac, steering, and things like that,” Steiner said. “So you can control the car with the brakes as well as the throttle and, in our view, this is superior to a system that does something you can’t control.”
Porsche Mission R concept
Announced in 2022 and due to arrive in 2025 as 2026 models, the 718 Boxster convertible and Cayman coupe will replace the gasoline equivalents as the entry points to Porsche’s sports-car lineup.
Spy shots from earlier this year show proportions similar to the gasoline 718 models, which may stick around alongside the EVs for a period of time, combined with styling elements from other electric Porsches. Some elements are expected to carry over from 2021’s Mission R concept, including a T-shaped battery pack filling the central tunnel and the space behind the seats, although it’s unclear if production models will match the concept’s 670 hp, which could be briefly boosted to 1,073 hp.