Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

Watch out, Elon: Porsche’s Mission E will arrive in 2019 with up to 590 horsepower

Miles Branman
By

It doesn’t take a genius to conclude that Porsche is targeting Tesla’s Model S with its upcoming Mission E electric vehicle. It might take a genius to build the car, but that’s a different issue.

However, thanks to Autocar’s interview with Porsche chairman Oliver Blume, we’re getting a much better idea of just how closely the Mission E will match up against Tesla’s offering. Notably, Porsche plans to offer several variants of its first all-electric vehicle, just like Tesla offers smaller and larger battery Model S’s. Oh, and the Mission E will receive over-the-air updates to driveline and autonomous tech — just like the Model S.

Recommended Videos

“The Mission E will sit in the segment below the Panamera,” said Blume. “It will offer a 500km (311 mile) electric range, with a 15-minute charge ti me… there will be more than one [model], with different levels of power.”

Related

Though Blume quotes one range, news of multiple variants means the Mission E will have different performance thresholds, and different driving ranges. Porsche’s previous references to an output of 590 horsepower and a 0 to 60 mph sprint of under 3.5 seconds probably relate to the most potent version.

Porsche plans to use an 800v charging system for the Mission E, and may co-develop the unit with Hitachi. This system is critical to achieving the desired 80-percent charge in 15 minutes (which is quicker than Tesla’s supercharging system). Blume also noted that the Mission E will be configured with Level 4 autonomous driving functionality (no driver attention needed). “There are situations in traffic jams where you will be able to read a newspaper, but our customers take pleasure from driving and this will remain,” he said.

The first Mission E prototypes will begin testing this summer as part of a two-year development phase. That puts the Mission E production date at mid-to-late 2019.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Miles Branman
Miles Branman
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Miles Branman doesn't need sustenance; he needs cars. While the gearhead gene wasn't strong in his own family, Miles…
Porsche puts all-electric Mission E on fast track, hires 1,400 assembly line workers
porsche-mission-e_concept

Now's the time to start saving, because Porsche's all-electric, luxury four-seater due by 2020 is on a fast track to production. Porsche confirmed it is bumping up plans to get to market and will be hiring about 1,400 people for the assembly line, 40 percent more than previously estimated, according to Electrek.

Porsche is part of the Volkswagen Group, along with VW and Audi. Volkswagen recently announced plans for more than 30 new models brand-wide by 2025, including 2 million to 3 million all-electric vehicles. The Mission E, Porsche's first all-electric car, is one of the first of VW Group's long-range e-cars.

Read more
Learn how Porsche built its long-range, lightning-fast Mission E Concept
porsche-mission-e_concept

When Porsche revealed its Mission E Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year, it sent the message that the automaker was very serious about electrified platforms. Not long after the concept’s debut, news broke that Porsche had approved a production version of the vehicle that would almost certainly rival Tesla’s Model S and whatever BMW is cooking up from its i Series line.

While final details about the consumer-ready model are still a mystery, Porsche has created a video about how the Mission E came to be.

Read more
Porsche's all-electric Mission E will go into production
porsches electric mission e concept will go production within decade porsche rgb

As parent company Volkswagen continues to reel from the ongoing "Dieselgate" scandal, Porsche announced that it will introduce a production version of the Mission E electric car concept that debuted at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The timing for this announcement couldn't be better, as the diesel scandal recently expanded to encompass Porsche's own Cayenne Diesel, and VW faces investigations and lawsuits. An all-electric four-door sedan, the Mission E was unveiled just weeks before news of Volkswagen's regulation-dodging "defeat device" software broke.

Read more