Tesla was probably not expecting this from Porsche. Some new information about Porsche’s Mission E electric supercar was disclosed at the Paris Motor Show this week. The German company revealed that its 600hp all-wheel drive electric sports car will enter production by the end of the decade. Also the Volkswagen-owned automaker will be building out its own fast-charging network as well, just like Tesla, reports Teslarati.
Charging network faster than Tesla?
According to the Germany-based company, the fast-charging network will be able to deliver 248 miles of range (400 km) in about 15 minutes, or 80% of the car’s expected 310-mile range per a single charge. Tesla’s fast-charging Supercharger outputs 135 kW of power, so to be faster than that, Porsche’s charging network would require at least 150 kW of power, notes Teslarati.
In an interview with TopGear, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said they are working with other organizations to build a fast charging network that will be made available to Tesla owners as well through the use of an adapter. He adds that everyone has the same need and that it sounds simple, but getting the details is difficult.
“We already have the clear technical concept. It can even work with Teslas, with an adapter,” the executive said.
Porsche said at the Paris auto show that progress on the Mission E is on schedule. The electric car will reportedly have 600 horsepower and be capable of reaching 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds.
No immediate plans for self-driving cars
Blume did not just announce the fast-charging network but also disclosed that the automaker has no immediate plans to make a self-driving Mission E. The statement is quite similar to the Ferrari CEO’s stance on never building an automated car. Ferrari’s CEO called Tesla’s Autopilot system an “obscene concept,” although Porsche is open to the notion of using autonomous features to enhance a car, reports Teslarati.
Blume told AutoExpress that during a traffic jam, a driver may choose to read a newspaper or have the vehicle self-park using autonomous features, but the experience of driving will be left to the driver.
There is no word on who the German automaker is working with to create its electric vehicle charging network, but according to TopGear, when asked about any collaboration between them, Mercedes-Benz’s chief said, “We are in talks with them [Porsche].”
