May 22, 2018
According to CEO Oliver Blume, as many as half of the cars bearing the Porsche name will be electric by the year 2023. Its first release is slated to happen in 2019 with the Mission E. Next, an electric crossover coupe, and then a new generation Macan crossover by 2022. The Macan is expected to be the measuring stick for Porsche’s entry into the electric vehicle market. Currently, the gasoline-powered Macan crossover is the German automakers best seller with approximately 100,000 sold in 2016 alone.
Porsche’s Mission E will have an output of over 600 hp (440kW) and will be able to accelerate from an impressive zero to 60mph in no more than 3.5 seconds. Another impressive feature of the Mission E is that it has a built-in eye-tracking system that can detect where the driver is looking and then it will be able to identify which portion of the dashboard the driver would like to open. The Mission E marries driving performance with functionality and has Porsche hoping that it will begin a new chapter in the history of the sports car.
This new electric vehicle from Porsche will be able to charge twice as fast as those currently available. Even with conventional charging stations and cables, it will only take 15 minutes to charge up to 80 percent of the battery, with a range of 402km or 259mi. A reinvention of the traditional 4-door sedan, the Mission E will have cameras instead of exterior mirrors in order for the driver to keep an eye on what’s all around the vehicle. They can then view the camera shots in the corner of the windshield.
Multiple automakers have jumped on or have plans to jump on the electric vehicle bandwagon. Many are hoping to completely transition to an all-electric fleet in the next decade. Volvo CEO, Håkan Samuelsson recently announced via Twitter that starting in 2019, each Volvo produced on their line will be either partially or entirely electric.
Although Volvo and Porsche seem to be the some of most motivated automakers when it comes to electric vehicles, several others are moving in the direction too. All major automakers have or will soon have some type of electric vehicle on the market for purchase. For instance, General Motors has their Chevy Bolt and says it will release 10 additional electric vehicle models in the Chinese auto market by the year 2020. In the same year, we will likely see an electric SUV from Ford while Volkswagen will be getting in on this market in 2020 as well. It seems like it is just a number of years before electric vehicles are widely adopted across not only the nation, but also the world.