Is The Porsche Mission E A Tesla Killer?
By Paulo Acoba
Porsche shocked the motoring by unveiling the Mission E, a four door all-electric sports car.
310 miles of driving range with 600 HP with power going to all four wheels with four doors, that’s the Mission E in a nutshell. Earlier today (Sept. 14, 2015) Porsche went ahead and rolled out a new model which they intend to build in three to four years time which they’ve dubbed Mission E. We imagine the E stands for electric. As for the Mission? According to Porsche CEO Wolfgang Hatz, “With this car we intend to start a new era with Porsche, similar to the 911 fifty years ago,” Hatz tell us. “This is more than a show car, it’s a concept car that we can realise. To put it into production we’ll need three to three-and-a-half years.” That wait time is Porsche’s projection to where technology will be by model year 2019.
As for motivation, we can look to the Porsche 919 Hybrid, the cars used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Just like the 919 Hybrid, this Mission E uses two permanent magnet synchronous motors. Combined, they produce over 600 HP which is good enough for a blast to 60 MPH in 3.5 seconds. Porshe is aiming for a sub-eight minute Nurburgring lap time. The Tesla Model S P90D already puts down 762 HP and 713 lb-ft.
The Porsche Mission E supposedly will go 310 miles on a single charge and thanks to an 800-volt system, can be charged to 80 percent in less than 15 minutes. The best Tesla Model S P90D already has an EPA rated 286-mile driving range with a 30 minute charge time to regain about an 80 percent charge.
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Porsche is boasting that since the battery’s are mounted low to the floor and distributed evenly running the whole length of the car, balance is good and the center of gravity is exceptionally low. Porsche’s Mission E will be made from a mix of aluminium, steel and carbon fibre. The entire chassis of the Tesla Model S is already all aluminium and the batteries are mounted exactly the same way. Although Elon Musk has admitied future Tesla’s won’t be made from aluminium to reduce costs.
Porsche’s trump card for the Mission E seems to be the design. Incorporating Porsche’s classic sweepback, it harkens to the Porsche 918 as well as Porsche racecars of past. LED headlights bring the Mission E into the future. Lots of the rear design features reference the Porsche 911. Tesla can’t compete with Porsche when it comes to style. Porsche has the history, design studio and brand image that Tesla can’t touch.
Inside, thanks to the absence of a transmission tunnel, room is spacious. The Mission E features a driver display that is entirely configurable as well as a tablet that controls vehicle functions in the center arm rest area. Updates for the entire car are handled all remotely thanks to “Over The Air and Remote Services.” Sounds familiar? Tesla has all those features already.
Porsche’s only saving grace is its gorgeous new looks which just might be enough to sway potential Tesla Model S buyers. But is it a Tesla killer? Not entirely. Remember, this is Mission E projected stats in 2019 versus current stats from Tesla…today. Who knows what Tesla will look and perform in three years time.