Porsche Mission E Electric Sports Sedan Cleared For Production, Will Battle Tesla By 2020

Porsche announced its beautiful Mission E in September at the Frankfurt Auto Show, and said at the time that it was hopeful that the vehicle would be approved for production. As if there was ever any doubt that the Mission E would be approved, Porsche revealed today that the vehicle has indeed been given the green light for production.

“Even in a greatly changing motoring world, Porsche will maintain its front-row position with this fascinating sports car,” said Porsche AG’s Dr. Wolfgang Porsche.

"We are resolutely taking on the challenge of electric mobility,” added Porsche Executive Board Chairman Dr. Oliver Blume. “Even with solely battery-powered sports cars, Porsche is remaining true to its philosophy and offering our customers the sportiest and technologically most sophisticated model in this market segment."

The Mission E is powered by two permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) that combine for over 600hp. Even though this is a Porsche, you won’t be racing to speeds approaching [or surpassing] 200 mph. Instead, to help preserve the battery and other electric components, the 4400-lb vehicle is electrically-limited to 155mph. While the top speed may be a bummer for some, the 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds is sure to impress anyone that hasn’t already sampled the sub 3-second, neck-snapping acceleration of the Tesla Model S P85D in Ludicrous Mode.

Porsche says that the Mission E’s lithium-ion battery pack is good for roughly 310 miles per charge. In addition, the vehicle can be hooked up to an 800-volt charger that can give the battery 250 miles of range in just 15 minutes.  

Given recent Porsche concept-to-production transformations — Carrera GT, 918 Spyder — we can say with great confidence that the production version of the Mission E will look very similar to the concept car, which is a good thing. As for pricing, if you have to ask…