Porsche Steals Tesla’s Spotlight With Beautiful 600+ Horsepower, 300-Mile Range ‘Mission E’ Sedan
Don’t get us wrong, Tesla Motors has been on an absolute tear with regards to its gorgeous Model S electric sedan. The vehicle has won awards left and right and has even broken Consumer Reports’ review scale. In its most potent form, the Model S P85D put down 691hp and 687 ft-lbs of torque, which is good enough to rocket it from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.8 seconds in Ludicrous Mode.
But the competition isn’t sitting still either — and increased competition results in even more compelling vehicles for us all. Look no further than Porsche’s entry into the electric vehicle arena: the Mission E Concept. While we all love the looks of the Tesla Model S, the Mission E is easily its equal in the looks department, and perhaps even just a tad bit more attractive. The Mission E manages to combine the best of the iconic Porsche 911, the 918 Spyder, and the Panamera Sport Turismo Concept.
When it comes to the hardware lurking under the pretty exterior, you’ll find two permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) that are closely related to the same motors that you’ll find in Porsche’s 919 hybrid Le Mans racer. Although Porsche isn’t giving us exact power figure, it says that the two motors will generate in excess of 600hp and can propel the 4400-lb vehicle to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and hit an electronically-limited top speed of 155 mph.
The Mission E’s lithium-ion battery pack is good for roughly 310 miles per charge, and new 800-volt technology allows the battery pack to be charged with enough energy to travel 250 miles in just 15 minutes.
Best of all, Porsche intends to make a production version of the Mission E, and it will arrive by the end of the decade. Given that the Model S P85D is a $100,000+ vehicle, there’s no question that that Porsche will likely be up to twice as expensive (if not more given its history). Regardless of how Porsche decides to price the production version of the Mission E, we’ll be standing on the sidewalk gawking as we could never afford to put such a machine in our driveway.
