More information has surfaced on Porsche’s highly anticipated all-electric Mission E as the Germans gave early access to one particular member of the press.
Georg Kacher from Automobile magazine became the fourth person in the world to drive the white Mission E prototype and learned along the way some juicy details on the first electric Porsche.
The Porsche Mission E will be smaller than the Panamera, but the company aims to offer the same amount of room in the cabin with a car from the class above; using an electric powertrain frees up a lot of space but Porsche goes even further, creating a recess in the floorpan where the rear passengers’ legs go that splits the battery tray.
“The production version is in essence a C-segment sedan with an almost D-size interior,” said project leader Stefan Weckbach. “Visually, the car combines 911 overtones with fresh proportions and very good space utilization even though the Mission E is notably more compact than the Panamera.”
The other goal with the Mission E is to feel like a proper Porsche down the road; the company is hard at work in making the electric four-door model a true performance car, giving it a sharp steering and lots of grip but they also work on making the batteries and motors resistant to heat. Using a complex cooling circuit is their way of ensuring that performance will be constant and repeatable, unlike other electric models currently on the market.
Porsche is considering to offer the Mission E in three different power versions: an entry-level 402hp (300kW), a mid-range 536hp (400kW) and a range-topping 670hp (500kW) model, with all of them being all-wheel drive. Porsche might even add a cheaper rear-drive version later on.
The front electric motor produces 215hp and 221lb-ft of torque constantly, offering up to 325lb-ft for brief sessions of wide-open throttle. As for the rear electric motor, there will be two different versions of it: the base one with 322hp and 251lb-ft of torque and the performance one with 429hp and 406lb-ft of torque. A two-speed transmission is being developed to offer full-throttle upshifts, as well as an electronically controlled rear differential.
0-60mph is expected to be in the mid-3 second range while top speed will be limited to 155mph. Porsche targets a real-world driving range of 300 miles but most importantly, it wants the Mission E to recharge its battery to at least 80 percent capacity in 20 minutes or less. In order to do so, the battery cells will be able to charge with either a 800-volt capacity or a 400-volt capacity.
Pricing for the Porsche Mission E will be set between the Cayenne and the Panamera, meaning around the $75,000 to $80,000 mark, positioning it directly against the Tesla Model S when it finally arrives in the market in 2019.
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