Published on April 2nd, 2016 | by Guest

What Porsche is cooking up an all-electric sports car?

When it comes to sport cars, there are very few names that pack in so much popularity, history and tradition as Porsche does. From the 365 model all the way up to its iconic 911 model, Porsche proved that perfection has no limits, and neither do boundaries. Porsche kept pushing the limits of technology with its sport cars, all while maintaining a solid focus on the driving experience. Now, it appears that Porsche wants to do that once more by creating an all-electric sports car.

The First Rumors

It all started at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, when Porsche announced its intention of building an all-electric model. Right from the beginning, the company made it clear that it is after Tesla, the current king of electric vehicles.

Porsche announced that the upcoming model will be known as the Porsche Mission E, and will be a 4-door sports car. The company also made some claims about some performance figures that the Mission E is set to deliver, and if those rounds do come true, Tesla might get a serious run for its money. Porsche aims at a 3.5 seconds for 0 to 60 and a range of 310 miles, which is in the same ballpark as Tesla. The company also mentioned that it would spend close to $760 million to bring Porsche Mission E to life.

Porsche Mission E – The Real Beginnings

Whereas the Porsche Mission E was thought to be just a concept at first, Porsche AG’s executive board chairman Oliver Blume made it abundantly clear that the Mission E is in fact a real project, and to show its dedication to it, it announced that the budget for the project just got a boost to a solid $1 billion.

Porsche also worked through some specifics on how to achieve those proposed numbers, so the project is indeed starting to take shape. The advertised 3.5 second 0 to 60 acceleration is supposed to come from two electric engines, which should output roughly 600 horsepower combined, while the 310 mile range should be possible due to a high power battery. Porsche may opt to use a modified version of the Porsche 919 hybrid as a propulsion option, while the all-wheel steering system present in the 918 Spyder, the 911 Turbo and the 911 GT3 might also make it to the Mission E.

One of the key features of the car, though, is set to come from its battery, which is supposed to be able to charge from 0 to 80% in roughly 15 minutes, which is significantly faster than Tesla. Porsche claims it can achieve this by doubling the voltage of the whole electric system.

Porsche Mission E – Can it end Tesla’s Reign?

If you put the raw numbers of the Mission E against those of the Tesla’s Model S, it’s pretty clear that the two companies will be in a tight fight for supremacy in the electric car kingdom. There’s a slight problem, though – the Mission E doesn’t really exist yet, and it’s only bound to hit the market by 2020, whereas Tesla’s electric car can be bought here and now.

This means that, at this point, the balance is pretty much in Tesla’s favor, as the company has a tangible product capable of hitting the numbers that Porsche aims at, while the latter is still in the research and development phase. The main problem Porsche will have to face is that, even if things do go as planned, and the Mission E does shape out exactly the way it wants it, with the figures Porsche indicated, this will likely happen around 2020. At that time, Porsche will have an all-electric car that can compare in terms of performance with a car that has been released in 2012. Tesla made some important upgrades to the Model S since it launched in 2012, so it’s most likely that they will either continue upgrading the model S or launch an entirely new model by the time Mission E becomes a reality, and said model is bound to have better specs.

However, Porsche does have a long history in the automotive field, and just because it is just starting its journey in the land of electric vehicles doesn’t mean it can’t win. The experience accumulated along time should allow the company to catch up and maybe even outperform Tesla on the long run. Only time will tell.

Article credits: By Edward Francis and Design911.co.uk!

Tags: car, cooking, electric, Porsche, sports, vehicle