First details on the PPE platform for future Audi and Porsche electric cars.

Volkswagen Group brands Audi and Porsche have developed separate platforms for their first production electric vehicles.

For example, the Audi E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback are built on battery-powered versions of the flexible MLB Evo platform on which most Audi models are based.

Porsche, for its part, uses a specialized J1 EV platform for the Taycan; the J1 could also underpin Audi's upcoming E-Tron GT super sedan and other Volkswagen Group models.

Given the rapid pace of technological progress, it's not surprising that Audi and Porsche are already working on platforms for next-generation EVs. One of them is called PPE (Premium Platform Electric), which the two companies are developing together.

PPE, like the J1, has an 800-volt architecture. This high voltage combined with an efficient cooling system allows PPE-based vehicles to charge up to 350 kilowatts and charge to 80% in about 20 minutes.

PPE is designed for vehicles the size of an Audi A4 or larger and is suitable for both low-speed and high-speed driving. In addition, electric cars have a more comfortable layout, so there will be more interior space than in cars with an internal combustion engine of the same size. Audi will also use Volkswagen's MEB platform for its compact cars; the MEB platform debuted in the VW ID 3 hatchback and will soon underpin the Audi Q4 E-Tron.

PPE-based cars will have one electric motor on the rear axle as standard. For all-wheel drive, a second electric motor can be added to the front axle. Torque vectoring systems, air suspension and all-wheel steering will also be available.

The first PPE-based vehicle is scheduled for release in 2021, but neither Audi nor Porsche has yet to say what form it will take. It is possible that it could be the A5 Sportback, which was unveiled as a mysterious concept in 2019. That same year, Audi design chief Mark Lichte said that a model similar to the E-Tron GT was being developed in the A4 segment, but it was reported at the time that it wouldn't arrive until 2023. Another possible option is the next-generation Porsche Macan, which is not expected to appear until 2022.