Skip to main content

Porsche’s Mission E concept flaunts its advanced electric drive system in Frankfurt

Porsche has taken the wraps off its first all-electric, four-seat sports car, the Mission E Concept.

Designed to challenge Tesla’s Model S, the Mission E boasts over 600 horsepower from an 800-volt e-drive system derived from Motorsport applications. Two permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) – just like the Le Mans winning Porsche 919 hybrid – drive all four wheels and recover energy while braking. The combination propels the Mission E to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds and to 124 mph in under 12.0 seconds.

Recommended Videos

In addition to all-wheel drive, the Mission E borrows four-wheel steering from models like the Porsche 911 GT3 and uses an advanced torque-vectoring system to keep power down. Porsche claims the e-drive system can accelerate with its full power repeatedly, unlike other electric systems, and helps the Mission E lap the Nurburgring in under eight minutes.

Other highlights include a 15-minute charge time (for 80 percent of the batteries full capacity) and a 500-kilometer/310-mile maximum range. These feats are possible thanks to the “Porsche Turbo Charging system’s lighter, smaller gauge copper cables that are sufficient for energy transport.” The 800-volt system can also be adapted for standard 400-volt charging systems at a slower recharging pace.

Porsche Mission E Rear Angle
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Inside, Porsche has added eye-tracking and gesture control for its infotainment system and driver controls, including holograms that are “highly oriented toward the driver by automatically adjusting the displays to the driver’s position.” Though I’m not quite clear on what that means, it sounds very cool.

In terms of driving dynamics, the Mission E’s low center of gravity, lightweight construction (aluminum, steel, and carbon fiber reinforced polymer), and even weight distribution give the concept “emotional sportiness.”

The design is inspired by Porsche’s 918 Spyder and 911 Carrera, including a sweptback roofline and low, squat stance. The Mission E also uses a new type of Matrix LED headlight in Porsche’s four-point headlight design. The lack of a B pillar gives the concept a two-door coupe look and the doors open in suicide-style.

Obviously several of these design elements won’t make it to production, but if the electric drivetrain carries over, the Tesla Model S will have a sincere rival on its hands.

Miles Branman
Miles Branman developed a passion for cars early on thanks to a neighbor’s collection of rare and exotic vehicles. What…
Jeremy Allen White was born to run in the first trailer for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
The movie follows Springsteen as he makes his album 'Nebraska.'
Jeremy Allen White in Deliver Me From Nowhere

Music biopics are all the rage these days, and Bruce Springsteen is the latest icon to get the treatment. The first trailer for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere sees The Bear star inhabiting the role of The Boss. The film is based on Warren's Zane's book of the same name, which focuses on the period when he was making his 1982 album Nebraska.

The film is directed by Scott Cooper, who also directed Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. In the trailer, we see White embodying Springsteen as he sings "Born to Run," and we also get a lengthy monologue from Jeremy Strong's Jon Landau as he explains why Springsteen feels the need to make this album.

Read more
Tony Soprano vs. Walter White: Who is the ultimate antihero?
TV's biggest heavyweights duke it out for the antihero crown
Breaking bad season 4 screen shot

Sports fans often debate between two heavyweight legends. For basketball, it's LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Switching to tennis, you have Roger Federer fans and Rafael Nadal diehards. Debates like these are ingrained in the culture of athletics, but TV fans have their own version of this sparring match.

Tony Soprano from The Sopranos and Walter White from Breaking Bad are the two characters who still send shockwaves through every drama in the 21st century. These men were the perfect mix of good and evil. They navigated family life and the criminal underworld with cunning intelligence and ruthless risk-taking. Every show with morally gray characters at the center owes its storyboard to Walter and Tony, but which character deserves the antihero crown? This is Tony Soprano vs. Walter White for all the marbles.
Who was the more complex character?

Read more
Learn how to smoke a pipe the proper way with our guide for beginners
Let us show you the classy way to smoke a pipe
Packing a pipe

Pipe smoking is the most aesthetically distinguished way to enjoy tobacco, but you lose the classy effect if you don’t know how to smoke a pipe properly. Smoking a pipe has become a lost art, and these days, most people who engage in pipe smoking do so to achieve a sense of nostalgia. Perhaps your grandfather enjoyed a puff now and again paired with a good stiff whiskey, or maybe your goal is to emulate a pipe-smoking artist.

I know that I enjoy a good puff on a pipe now and then, and knowing the right way to enjoy a pipe has made the experience much more pleasurable for for me. Whatever the case, if you intend to take up the time-honored tradition of unwinding with a pipe like me, you should learn how to smoke a pipe the right way. And smoking a pipe is very different than smoking a cigar (except you shouldn't be inhaling either).

Read more