Here Comes Porsche’s Answer to Tesla
Since Elon Musk and his merry band of geniuses unleashed the Tesla Model 3 earlier this summer, the electric car has finally made its way into the mainstream. The Model 3 is Tesla’s first entry-level, mass-market luxury sedan, and the overwhelmingly positive critical response coupled with the affordable $35,000 price tag means the future is firmly here. Naturally, the car’s current success and rosy outlook—Tesla plans on producing 10,000 Model 3s per week next year—means a fresh batch of competitors are waiting in the wings to steal their own piece of the electric car pie.
First up appears to be Porsche, the German luxury automaker that first introduced its electric concept in 2015. Back then, the company teased its Mission E as an all-wheel, four-door beauty that could go from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.5 seconds. Now Porsche is making good on its promises, with CEO Oliver Blume telling the crowd at Frankfurt’s International Motor Show last week that the production version of the Mission E will retain many of the same features from the original concept, according to The Verge.
The Mission E will fall somewhere in between the 911 and the Panamera, Porsche’s other four-door vehicle. Expect a top speed around 155 mph and an 80-percent charge time of just 15 minutes using an 800-volt turbo charging system, which would smoke Tesla’s Superchargers.
As of now, Blume says the Mission E should arrive in driveways near the end of 2019, with a potential starting price point at $80,000. (So yes, you can bet it’ll be slicker than the Model 3.) But perhaps more intriguingly, Blume said the Mission E range could also include other styles, like a SUV. Strap in for the electric revolution.
