Porsche aims high on production EV
BY RON HAMMERTON | 11th Feb 2016
With a driving range of more than 500km, 440kW of power, zero-to-100km/h sprint time of less than 3.5 seconds and an 80 per cent battery charge time of just 15 minutes on a fast charger, the Mission E concept sedan already looks sharp.
But Porsche Cars Australia (PCA) public relations director Paul Ellis said he would not be surprised if the final production version - due by the end of the decade - exceeded those target figures.
"By the way that technology is evolving, we should be able to meet and possibly exceed that," Mr Ellis said at this week's Porsche 911 Carrera facelift launch in Tasmania.
Mr Ellis also confirmed that PCA will have its hand up for the vehicle for Australian sale once it goes into mass production, possibly in three years.
"Absolutely," he said. "We are assuming it will go into right-hand drive production."The limited-edition hybrid 918 Spyder - holder of the fastest lap of Germany's Nurburgring - was not made in RHD and so never made it here, but the new EV is expected to be a global vehicle.
While the final name of the production version is yet to be confirmed, Porsche has stated that a vehicle based on the Mission E will go into production at its Stuttgart plant by the end of the decade, creating 1000 jobs.
The factory is set to get a €700m ($A1b) expansion and renovation to make the new electric motors - two per vehicle - and new-age bespoke EV platform developed in-house by Porsche.
Britain's Autocar reports that development of the vehicle has started under the code name J1.
The concept, sporting familiar Porsche design cues, is a four-door four-seater with rear-opening "suicide" doors for back-seat access.
Performance wise, it is hard to see Porsche giving away any advantage to Tesla, whose current Model S - in 90kWh P90D flagship guise - boasts 568kW of power, a supercar-like 0-100km/h sprint time of just 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 249km/h in Ludicrous mode.
Coincidentally, that 0-100km/h time is about the same as Porsche's hybrid 918 Spyder.
The Porsche Mission E apparently can be charged to 80 per cent battery capacity in 15 minutes on a high-voltage charger, while the Tesla S takes 30 minutes.
The Tesla's range is up to 430km on the American EPA test cycle, while Porsche is promising "at least" 500km.
Engineers working in the electric vehicle industry estimate battery performance has been improving about 8.0 per cent a year, while 'light-weighting' advances and electric motor gains also could contribute to Porsche's first EV.
Porsche promises a wireless charging option with induction loop technology available for installation in an owner's garage.
