The Porsche Mission E concept car was recently spotted competing on the roads of Germany alongside Tesla Model S and Model X, according to MotorTrend. For Tesla, this could be both a compliment that such an iconic brand has chosen their cars, and a reason to be cautious that the same iconic brand is now coming up with a mass-market electric car.
Porsche is known for making immensely successful hybrid cars such as the 918 Spyder super-car and the Panamera E- Hybrid series. Now, at least the same level of success is expected from the Mission E. The car is in the development and testing phase right now, but the one seen running on the streets of Germany looks amazing and all ready for production. The Mission E would be Porsche’s first entry into the mid-range EV market.
Porsche previously noted that the Mission E would go into mass-production by 2020, and pre-orders might start in 2019. Considering its latest spotting with Tesla cars, there are good chances that the Porsche Mission E might just be on track.
Our spy photographer catches #Porsche all-electric #MissionE in testing against #Tesla #EVs: https://t.co/mMaU6BPGNU pic.twitter.com/0Kge10py82
— Autoblog (@therealautoblog) October 4, 2017
Porsche’s Mission E has been already termed as the Model S killer. Interestingly, Porsche has taken Tesla as the benchmark, suggesting that the company will strive towards making Mission E better than Tesla EVs. Reportedly, Mission E will be powered by the 590 hp electric motor, and would cover around 310 miles on full charge. Just like the Model S and Model X supercharger system, Mission E can also charge up to 80% in just 15 minutes, notes Inquisitr. Porsche is working in partnership with the Japanese Electronic Company Hitachi over the battery system.
In an interview with Autocar, Porsche chairman, Oliver Blume, said that the Mission E will get over-the-air updates to enhance the power and other performance aspects. Further, the car would be equipped with the Level 4 autonomy, which does not require driver’s attention on the road even in heavy traffic situations. However, for a long distance autonomous drive, there is still some time, Blume admitted.
Blume also confirmed that there would not be just one Porsche Mission E. Just like other Porsche series, Mission E can also have Mission E GTS or Mission S and so on. Talking of the pricing, Blume noted that the car’s pricing would be similar to that of Panamera, which starts at $85,000 in the United States and the high-end model comes somewhere around $190,000. Further, Blume hinted that the Mission E’s price tag would be somewhere between the Panamera and the 911.
Porsche has at least three new electric car platforms right now, courtesy of its parent company Volkswagen Group. The J1 platform is different compared to the C-BEV platform in terms of construction, and the latter would be used on Audi’s E-Tron. “The J1 has a low floor, while the C-BEV is constructed differently with a higher floor that suits an SUV,” Blume said.
Blume, however, did mention that despite the different construction platform, both Mission E and E-Tron would have the similar lithium-ion battery technology. Lamborghini is also rumored to be working on an electric car based off the Mission E.
