New Porsche 718 EVs are being reworked to run on petrol instead

The next-generation Porsche 718 EVs are to be reworked, as the German manufacturer is looking to integrate petrol power into the new Cayman and Boxster sports cars.

The 718 versions of the Boxster and Cayman are experiencing a massive U-turn, as Porsche originally intended for the two cars to be EV only.

However, demand for EVs has stalled and waned recently, hence Stuttgart’s decision to roll back on its electric-only plans.

Fans of the internal-combustion engine can therefore rejoice, as it looks like the familiar grunt and power we’ve known and loved for years is here to stay just a bit longer.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

The new Porsche 718 will not be all-electric only

Before this announcement, Porsche had already said it would continue to sell ‘top variants’ of the 718.

These are highly likely to be the RS and the GT4 RS versions of the current generation of sports cars.

But sources indicated to British publication Autocar that things have changed behind the scenes.

Stuttgart is now set to reverse-engineer the EV-only PPE Sport platform, initially developed for 2026 models onwards.

Now, it will be adapted to accommodate a mid-mounted engine.

Porsche has said it is about ‘maximum production efficiency’ and ‘volume of scale on key components.’

The reality is that demand for EVs has been dropping slowly, hence the need to retain a petrol-powered engine.

But it won’t be easy for Porsche to reverse-engineer the Cayman and Boxster.

How will the next-generation 718 accommodate a new engine?

One issue the company faces is that the PPE platform uses a stressed, load-bearing battery pack.

Add in the flat floor, and removing the battery would weaken the bodyshell of the sports cars.

A new structural floor section is likely to be introduced, bolted onto the existing hard points.

This will bring back the rigidity, with a new rear bulkhead and subframe also installed to support the transmission and engine.

It is a huge amount of work for the German manufacturer, and shows the scale of its decision to roll back on EV only.

The naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six will likely be the engine of choice for the new Porsche 718 range.

This has been made possible thanks to the EU’s decision to roll back on the internal-combustion engine ban of 2035.

Other Porsches are also set to retrain petrol power, including the Macan.

It is certainly an eye-catching change that many probably didn’t think was possible.