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Porsche flexes e-Motorsport prowess with GT4 ‘ePerfomance’

Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance on track from behind in Valencia

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Porsche has shown off its electric GT4 ePerformance racecar at an ice track race in Sweden.

As a leader in vehicles that put a smile on your face, Porsche is under distinct pressure to bring that same excitement and joy to the EV transition, and it’s clear that it intends to do just that. First shown at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last year, the Porsche GT4 ePerformance has made another debut, this time at an ice track race in Northern Sweden.

At the Race of Champions event in Northern Sweden, Porsche got the opportunity to show off its GT4 ePerformance project, a car that is set to define the future of electric motorsports.

The Porsche GT4 ePerformance is a serious racecar, no question about it. Fitted with carbon fiber body panels, the tried and true aerodynamics of Porsche’s fastest racecars, and a stripped interior, it is the real deal and has the performance to back it up.

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The full specifications of the vehicle are not yet known, but a surprising amount of information has been revealed over the past year. First of all, the ePerformance is designed to last a minimum of 30 minutes on the racetrack, what Porsche says is the equivalent of 1 Porsche Carera Cup race, allowing drivers to push the car to its absolute limit without the worry of a dead battery mid-race.

Second, the drivetrain, likely using a dual or tri-motor system, produces similarly insane power as its gas counterparts. It packs 603 horsepower for its 30-minute race setting or up to 1088 horsepower peak. But perhaps even more surprising is the car’s incredibly quick charging. According to Porsche engineers, the vehicle can charge from 5 to 8 percent in as little as 15 minutes thanks to its 900-volt architecture.

 

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While Porsche did not provide a statement on the vehicle or today’s race for that matter, Porsche’s Project Manager of Sales Oliver Schwab told Teslarati:

“The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance blazes a trail to Porsche customer racing with electrically-powered racing cars. As a first step, we will unveil this concept to our global partners. With drivers, teams, organizers, authorities, and other interested parties, we’re also gathering ideas for Porsche racing formats in the future.”

To show off this incredible power, Porsche chose the ideal venue. For those unfamiliar, the “Race of Champions” (ROC) is a series of races that take place around the globe, forcing the best drivers on the planet to face off; on the same track, same car, and same day. This event includes participants such as four-time F1 Champion Sebastian Vettel, six-time American rally champion Travis Pastrana, ten-time F1 Champion Valtteri Botas, nine-time 24 Hour of LeMans winner Tom Kristenson, need I say more.

But merely coming to the event was not nearly enough for the thrill junkies from Stuttgart. The GT4 ePerformance was fitted with spiked tires and one of the largest wings I have ever seen mounted on a Porsche vehicle, allowing the car to rip and jump through the icy course with ease.

If this is the future of motorsport, I want it.

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And thankfully, I (and many others) won’t have to wait much longer. While unconfirmed by Porsche, the high-performance electric 911 could very well make its production debut following the introduction of the company’s newest EV platform, PPE. And with the numerous benefits to handling, power efficiency, and weight reduction, the car could be a rocket ship.

According to a Porsche press release from late last year, the GT4 ePerformance will be headed to North America for the first half of this year, making a tour throughout the continent to show potential customers the incredible future of electric Porsche racing, and will ultimately end up in Asia after completing its grand tour.

Porsche has shown in today’s video that motorsports are here to stay and may flourish with the upcoming EV transition. With such a noble goal, who could oppose them? Who knows, with the dedication to its electric performance vehicle offerings, it might just be enough to drag a certain American EV maker to the same market. And if this product is a showing of Porsche’s future products, such a competitor might finally have something to worry about.

What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!

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Will is an auto enthusiast, a gear head, and an EV enthusiast above all. From racing, to industry data, to the most advanced EV tech on earth, he now covers it at Teslarati.

Elon Musk

Tesla investors will be shocked by Jim Cramer’s latest assessment

Jim Cramer is now speaking positively about Tesla, especially in terms of its Robotaxi performance and its perception as a company.

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Credit: CNBC Television/YouTube

Tesla investors will be shocked by analyst Jim Cramer’s latest assessment of the company.

When it comes to Tesla analysts, many of them are consistent. The bulls usually stay the bulls, and the bears usually stay the bears. The notable analysts on each side are Dan Ives and Adam Jonas for the bulls, and Gordon Johnson for the bears.

Jim Cramer is one analyst who does not necessarily fit this mold. Cramer, who hosts CNBC’s Mad Money, has switched his opinion on Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) many times.

He has been bullish, like he was when he said the stock was a “sleeping giant” two years ago, and he has been bearish, like he was when he said there was “nothing magnificent” about the company just a few months ago.

Now, he is back to being a bull.

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Cramer’s comments were related to two key points: how NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang describes Tesla after working closely with the Company through their transactions, and how it is not a car company, as well as the recent launch of the Robotaxi fleet.

Jensen Huang’s Tesla Narrative

Cramer says that the narrative on quarterly and annual deliveries is overblown, and those who continue to worry about Tesla’s performance on that metric are misled.

“It’s not a car company,” he said.

He went on to say that people like Huang speak highly of Tesla, and that should be enough to deter any true skepticism:

“I believe what Musk says cause Musk is working with Jensen and Jensen’s telling me what’s happening on the other side is pretty amazing.”

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Tesla self-driving development gets huge compliment from NVIDIA CEO

Robotaxi Launch

Many media outlets are being extremely negative regarding the early rollout of Tesla’s Robotaxi platform in Austin, Texas.

There have been a handful of small issues, but nothing significant. Cramer says that humans make mistakes in vehicles too, yet, when Tesla’s test phase of the Robotaxi does it, it’s front page news and needs to be magnified.

He said:

“Look, I mean, drivers make mistakes all the time. Why should we hold Tesla to a standard where there can be no mistakes?”

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It’s refreshing to hear Cramer speak logically about the Robotaxi fleet, as Tesla has taken every measure to ensure there are no mishaps. There are safety monitors in the passenger seat, and the area of travel is limited, confined to a small number of people.

Tesla is still improving and hopes to remove teleoperators and safety monitors slowly, as CEO Elon Musk said more freedom could be granted within one or two months.

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Tesla launches ultra-fast V4 Superchargers in China for the first time

Tesla has V4 Superchargers rolling out in China for the first time.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla already has nearly 12,000 Supercharger piles across mainland China. However, the company just initiated the rollout of the ultra-fast V4 Superchargers in China for the first time, bringing its quick-charging piles to the country for the first time since their launch last year.

The first batch of V4 Superchargers is now officially up and running in China, the company announced in a post on Chinese social media outlet Weibo today.

Tesla China teases arrival of V4 Superchargers in 2025

The company said in the post:

“The first batch of Tesla V4 Superchargers are online. Covering more service areas, high-speed charging is more convenient, and six-layer powerful protection such as rain and waterproof makes charging very safe. Simultaneously open to non-Tesla vehicles, and other brands of vehicles can also be charged. There are more than 70,000 Tesla Superchargers worldwide. The charging network layout covers 100% of the provincial capitals and municipalities in mainland China. More V4 Superchargers will be put into use across the country. Optimize the charging experience and improve energy replenishment efficiency. Tesla will accompany you to the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas with pure electricity!”

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The first V4 Superchargers Tesla installed in China are available in four cities across the country: Shanghai, Zhejiang, Gansu, and Chongqing.

Credit: Tesla China

Tesla has over 70,000 Superchargers worldwide. It is the most expansive and robust EV charging network in the world. It’s the main reason why so many companies have chosen to adopt Tesla’s charging connector in North America and Europe.

In China, some EVs can use Tesla Superchargers as well.

The V4 Supercharger is capable of charging vehicles at speeds of up to 325kW for vehicles in North America. This equates to over 1,000 miles per hour of charging.

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Elon Musk hints at when Tesla could reduce Safety Monitors from Robotaxi

Tesla could be reducing Safety Monitors from Robotaxi within ‘a month or two,’ CEO Elon Musk says.

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Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer | X

Elon Musk hinted at when Tesla could begin reducing Safety Monitors from its Robotaxis. Safety Monitors are Tesla employees who sit in the front passenger seat during the driverless rides, and are there to ensure safety for occupants during the earliest rides.

Tesla launched its Robotaxi fleet in Austin last Sunday, and after eight days, videos and reviews from those who have ridden in the driverless vehicles have shown that the suite is safe, accurate, and well coordinated. However, there have been a few hiccups, but nothing that has put anyone’s safety in danger.

A vast majority — close to all of the rides — at least according to those who have ridden in the Robotaxi, have been performed without any real need for human intervention. We reported on what was the first intervention last week, as a Safety Monitor had to step in and stop the vehicle in a strange interaction with a UPS truck.

Watch the first true Tesla Robotaxi intervention by safety monitor

The Tesla and UPS delivery truck were going for the same street parking space, and the Tesla began to turn into it. The UPS driver parallel parked into the spot, which was much smaller than his truck. It seemed to be more of an instance of human error instead of the Robotaxi making the wrong move. This is something that the driverless cars will have to deal with because humans are aggressive and sometimes make moves they should not.

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The Safety Monitors have not been too active in the vehicles. After all, we’ve only seen that single instance of an intervention. There was also an issue with the sun, when the Tesla braked abnormally due to the glare, but this was an instance where the car handled the scenario and proceeded normally.

With the Robotaxi fleet operating impressively, some are wondering when Tesla will begin scaling back both the Safety Monitors and Teleoperators that it is using to ensure safety with these early rides.

CEO Elon Musk answered the inquiry by stating, “As soon as we feel it is safe to do so. Probably within a month or two.”

Musk’s response seems to confirm that there will be fewer Teleoperators and Safety Monitors in the coming months, but there will still be some within the fleet to ensure safety. Eventually, that number will get to zero.

Reaching a point where Tesla’s Robotaxi is driverless will be another significant milestone for the company and its path to fully autonomous ride-sharing.

Eventually, Tesla will roll out these capabilities to consumer-owned vehicles, offering them a path to generate revenue as their car operates autonomously and completes rides.

For now, Tesla is focusing on perfecting the area of Austin where it is currently offering driverless rides for just $4.20 to a small group of people.

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