Porsche has unveiled a new electric car concept
September 17, 2015The German sports car maker recently showed off its first fully electric concept car at the Frankfurt auto show.
Called the Mission E, Porsche’s four-door electric car concept has a range of over 500 kilometers (310 miles) on one charge and can recharge to about 80% of its capacity in as little as 15 minutes. The electric vehicle (EV) concept from Porsche is notably faster at recharging its battery than Tesla’s Model S, which needs approximately 30 minutes to reach the same percentage of charge to about a 270 kilometer (167 miles) range.
The Mission E concept accelerates faster than Porsche’s 911 sports car.
The Mission E concept is a 600-horsepower vehicle that reaches 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour in 3.5 seconds, which surpasses the 4.2 seconds for the car company’s new generation of its 911 sports vehicle, reported Bloomberg.
According to Porsche, its Mission E concept utilizes an 800-volt electric system, which is two times the voltage of other vehicles. This system is what helps to lower weight and reduce charging times. In addition, the car manufacturer said that the car will have different features to assist in vehicle operation. There is gesture-control and eye-tracking functions, which include holograms that would enable the driver to select apps out of the air.
Tesla will still prove to be tough competition for electric car makers.
While Porsche and other Volkswagen company Audi are among the top car brands making the shift to battery-powered EVs, they have a lot of catching up to do to Tesla. Later this month, Tesla’s second EV, the Model X crossover, will be released, and the U.S. electric car maker will also be making a more affordable vehicle.
However, according to Matthias Mueller, the head of the Volkswagen AG unit, “We respect all competitors, also Tesla, and that is the reason why we have taken a close look at the Model S as well as at every BMW, Mercedes or something else.” Muller said that when Porsche’s electric vehicle is finally released to the market, it will be superior to a Tesla.
The Mission E electric car is expected to reach the market in five years and would be Porsche’s seventh model line.