The time has come for all the shiny new concepts and models to take centre stage. Representing the greener part of Stuttgart is Porsche, with a rather interesting concept dubbed Mission E, and it looks absolutely glorious.
The Mission E is Porsche’s first all-electric powered four-seat sports car in the brand’s history. It looks very unmistakably a Porsche, with hints of all its greatest hits manifested here. The engineers have pushed the boat out to sea as well with a train-load of cutting-edge technology that might just find itself to a dealership near you in the near future.
Powering this concept visionary interestingly enough is technology already in use in the Porsche 919 Hybrid race car that championed this year’s 24 hours at Le Mans. The culmination of two permanently-excited synchronous motors (PSM) produce over 600 hp (440kW) and will propel the Mission E from standstill to 100 km/h in less than 3.5 seconds and onto 200 km/h in under 12 seconds.
Power is distributed to all four wheels with Porsche Torque Vectoring, which automatically distributes torque to individual wheels for better traction and driving feel. It will also prove to be a great platform for motorsport racing, it seems. At the heart of it all is an 800-Volt drive system, which is unheard of for a car at least. Because of the high-discharge density of the batteries and motor, it can deliver multiple full whack accelerations at short intervals, a technology that’s also unheard of in electric vehicles.
With that much juice to spare, Porsche has claimed a range of around 500km on a single charge. Pretty impressive for a four-door four seater Panamera-esque car. But at the end of the day, bear in mind that it’s a Porsche, which translates to every-day usability. Here’s the best part; via the 800-volt port, the battery can be charged to approximately 80 percent of its capacity in around 15 minutes – a record time for electric vehicles. That should give you a range of 400 km. Astonishing, to say the least.
This is possible thanks to the innovative “Porsche Turbo Charging” system. As an alternative, the Mission E can be connected to a conventional 400-volt quick-charging station, or it can be replenished at home in the garage via an inductive charging system that’s as easy as parking over a coil embedded in the floor of the garage from which the energy is transferred without cables to a coil on the car’s underbody. If it works for our mobile phones, why not future EVs, right?
The Mission E is a lightweight concept with an optimal weight distribution and a low centre of gravity. The battery pack is mounted in the car’s underbody, based on the latest lithium-ion technology, it runs the whole length between the front and rear axles. This distributes its weight to the two drive axles uniformly, resulting in exceptionally good balance, Porsche claims.
The interior is probably a closer interpretation of sci-fi blockbuster, Minority Report where you are tracked via a camera at all times. But it’s more than that, because the camera isn’t actually recording you, but it tracks your eyes to identify which instrument you’re focusing on. The entire dashboard is chock full of new ideas. The free-standing instrument cluster shows five round instruments – they can be recognised as being Porsche, but they are displayed virtually in OLED technology for a more organic feel.
In terms of design, well that’s needless to say at this point. But glare closely at the pictures and you’ll immediately come across familiar lines and shapes that has served as an inspirational composition for the Mission E concept. The sweeping roof line is clearly lent over from the iconic 911. The rear-end has a whiff too of the Panamera.
We’re convinced for sure that Porsche has the right idea and are headed in the right direction with this electrified sports saloon of tomorrow. This shows the marque’s unwavering commitment to just that cause. Meanwhile, in support of going green, Porsche recently revealed their new 911 Carrera range as a stepping stone forward, featuring turbocharged technology for the first time in the base model.
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