Porsche VP Says Its Mission E Overtakes Tesla Model S

Unlike Tesla, Porsche is developing a performance electric car that can sustain top speed and reproduce acceleration reliably, claims Stefan Weckbach, head of Porsche’s battery electric vehicles.  The statement was released together with the reveal of the new details of Mission E, Porsche’s first all-electric production car as its launching in the market is getting nearer.

To be released by 2019, Mission E was specifically compared Weckbach with Tesla’s Model S. Although some of Mission E’s specifications are lower than those of Tesla Model S, he said that it performs better than the Model S.

Porsche vs Tesla: Acceleration

While Model S claims it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds, Weckbach says that this can only be done by the car “only twice” and that “the third attempt will fail. The system is throttled.” In contrast, Mission E can do the same in 3.5 seconds, but it “will offer reproducible performance and a top sped which can be maintained for long periods.”

Weckbach could be particularly referring to Tesla’s software limitation on the utilization of its Launch Control and aggressive acceleration features. In order to maintain and lengthen the service life of its powertrain components, these launch control and acceleration features of Model S are restricted with the number of full-bore launches for the reason of lengthening the lifetime of powertrain components. Nonetheless, after gathering complaints from customers, the said limitation was already removed by Tesla.

Porsche vs Tesla: Charging Abilities

To make Porsche fans even more excited about Mission E, Weckbach also mentioned how fast its car could recharge – a 20-minute charging session means 250 miles of range.

However, in terms of charging stations network, Porsche would have to catch up on Tesla’s Supercharger network. Porsche will rely on parent company – Volkswagen – and is organizing to build its charging infrastructure by starting with installing 800-volt fast-chargers at its 189 dealerships, according to Porsche CEO Klaus Zellmer.

Porsche is also set to offer a “plug and charge” system, which allows customers to simply plug their vehicles to charge.

Driver-Assist System, No to Fully Autonomous

With its motto “quick to charge, quick to drive,” Weckbach notes that in addition to Mission E’s superfast charging ability, it is designed to make use of driver-assist systems instead of making it completely autonomous.

The automaker, together with its customers, has concluded that “Porsche drivers want to drive… no one believes that cars will be able to drive themselves in the short or medium term.”

[Via TechCrunch, Digital Trend, and Business Insider]