Residents can make use of the charging stations scattered across Oahu as Porsche, a company known for making high-performance cars, has greenlighted production for the Mission E, a four-door all-electric sports sedan.
“We are resolutely taking on the challenge of electric mobility,” said Dr. Oliver Blume, chairman of Porsche's executive board during an interview at the Frankfurt auto show.
“Even with solely battery-powered sports cars, Porsche is remaining true to its philosophy and offering our customers the sportiest and technologically most sophisticated model in this market segment.”
According to their website, the Mission E has a range of over 300 miles on a single charge, which is only 90 miles less than a fully fueled up Toyota Corolla, as measured by Edmunds.com. In a pinch, the Mission E can charge its batteries up to 80% in 15 minutes time, a feat which takes the similar electric performance car, the Tesla Model S, around 30 minutes to do, according to Tesla’s website.
Porsche is also promising “inductive charging,” a wireless means to charge the Mission E that automatically charges when the car is parked over a baseplate in a garage.
Conventional cable charging is also doable through a port hidden under a moving panel behind the front driver’s side wheel.
The Mission E borrows many styling cues from its siblings in the Porsche family such as the low, wide hood nestled in between the signature quadruple LED headlights featured on the 918 Spyder, Porsche’s hybrid supercar. The profile of the car appears to be a blend between the Panamera, Porsche’s four-door hatchback, and the 911, arguably the most iconic model in Porsche’s lineup.
According to Porsche’s website, the Mission E features a sleek, low roof that sits only 52 inches above the ground and gradually slopes down to a plateau just above the single rear taillight set in black glass. The taillight spans all the way across the back between the car’s aggressively flared rear wheel arches.The doors, however, are uniquely Mission E, featuring reverse opening rear doors and front doors without any external mirrors.
The mirrors have been replaced by rearward facing cameras which project their displays on the bottom left and right corners of the windshield. On their website, Porsche claims the car is capable of sprinting to 60 miles an hour in less than 3.5 seconds thanks to two dead silent electric motors that are roughly the size of a carry-on luggage. They are mounted to the front and rear axles, sending a projected total of 600 horsepower to all four wheels.
Kyle Wheelhouse, a sophomore from Utah studying computer science, said, “I think it would be sad to lose the engine noise. It would feel like the soul of the car is just gone. Other than that though, the idea of switching over to a fast electric car would be dandy. I think electric cars have a much clearer future. If we can find a way to make batteries with reusable, clean materials and find a way to generate power for them using clean energy, it would do wonders for the environment.”
Powering the electric motors is a giant lithium-ion battery which extends the whole length of the wheelbase in the floor of the car.
Porsche’s website says because the battery is set so low, “The weight is distributed equally along the wheelbase, assuring optimal balance. Moreover, the center of gravity of the entire vehicle is extremely low. Both considerably boost performance and the feeling of a true sports car.”
On the inside, passengers will be seated in what Porsche describes as “bucket-type racing seats, thus saving weight and giving all passengers the appropriate lateral support to match the driving dynamics of the car.”
Some of the futuristic tech to find a spot on the Mission E’s dashboard include a 3D heads up display made of organic light emitting diodes OLED, which adjust and move based on seating position and is controlled via eye tracking. To place a phone call, set a navigation waypoint, or any number of other commands, simply glance at the display, and confirm your command with the press of a button on the steering wheel.
Things like climate control, radio, suspension settings, and a medley of other functions are displayed on another OLED screen which spans across the dashboard and is controlled by hand gestures, working in a similar way to how an Xbox Kinect system works.
Christian Carli, a freshman from California studying business and math, said, “I think the high tech stuff sounds really cool, but in my experience with technology in cars, it usually ends up being a distraction. I also don’t know one person that’s been able to really figure out how to use the technology that comes in most cars now anyway.”
As for right now, there is no set release date or predicted price for the Mission E, but similar all-electric performance vehicles from Tesla Motors have ranged anywhere from $70,000-$132,000.