This is what it might look like – the Porsche of tomorrow. Together with the new 911 Carrera, Porsche has unveiled the “Mission E” concept car in Frankfurt.
Porsche says the concept car shows how its designers envision the future of the electric sports car. As the first all-electrically powered four-seat sports car in the brand’s history, the external design bears multiple references to the 911.
Measuring just 130 cm in height, distinctive air inlets and outlets – on the front, sides and at the rear – mark the body’s full flow-through design that the designers say enhances both efficiency and performance. Integrated air guides improve air flow around the wheels, for instance, and air outlets on the sides reduce overpressure in the wheel wells, thereby reducing lift. Two counter-opening doors also enable entry without a B-pillar.
The car sits on wide tyres mounted on carbon wheels measuring 21-inch at the front and 22-inch at the rear.
On the inside, there are four individual bucket seats, while the control and display unit is operated with eye-tracking and gesture control, some even via holograms. The lack of a transmission tunnel has also enabled the designers to open up space and give a lighter, more airy atmosphere to the entire cabin.
Underneath, an 800-volt drive system develops a claimed total power of over 600 bhp and 663 lb-ft of torque, while driving range is said to be over 300 miles.
Two permanently-excited synchronous motors (PSM) – similar to those used in this year’s Le Mans victor, the 919 hybrid – accelerate the sports car and recover braking energy. Porsche claims together the two motors propel the Mission E from 0-62 mph in less than 3.5 seconds and to 200 km/h in under twelve seconds.
A “need-based” all-wheel drive system with torque vectoring – which automatically distributes torque to the individual wheels – transfers the drive system’s power to the road. The car’s lap time on the North Loop of the Nürburgring is claimed to be under the eight-minute mark.
The lithium-ion battery mounted in the car’s underbody runs the whole length between the front and rear axles. Porsche says doubling the voltage – compared to today’s electric vehicles that operate at 400 volts – also means shorter charging times and lower weight.
A moveable body segment on the front left wing in front of the driver’s door gives access to the charging port. The battery can be charged to approximately 80 per cent of its capacity in around 15 minutes – a record time for electric vehicles, according to Porsche engineers.
The Mission E most likely previews a new, all-electric Porsche that will take on the likes of the Telsa Model S when it enters into production sometime before 2020.
Source: Porsche
