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Porsche Unveils Its First Electric Car
An anonymous reader writes: German automaker Porsche has made its first foray into electric vehicles. On Monday at the Frankfurt Auto Show, it unveiled a concept car called the Porsche Mission E. Its 800-volt drive system can take the car from 0 to 100km/h in 3.5 seconds. The high-voltage charging system lets it gain 80% of its battery capacity back within 15 minutes. They claim a driving range of 500km on a single battery charge. Porsche said the car was not a response to the Tesla Model S, but the two will likely be direct competitors when the Mission E goes into full production. That will happen "within the next five years."
Porsche doesn't compete with non-performance cars. From appearance and probably stats, this will be more in the supercar arena: Audi R8, BMW i8, Ferraris, Lamborghinis. My guess, if it's up to Porsche standards, one will be required to find at least $150,000 to afford this. Which, according to reports, is how much a fully loaded Tesla Model X will run (the price range is...large on that one: mid $70s to mid $100s).
I drive a Civic. I had a Porsche for a weekend earlier this year -- 911 Carrera S. I imagine it to be a land-based version of a fighter jet. I haven't driven a Tesla -- I hear they are very very nice, very fast off the line...but I wonder how their sport handling compares to a 911. Hmm...need to find me some Youtube comparisons...
Oh, and will someone explain what BMW is doing with the i3? When I think BMW, I think sport sedan. That thing has the specs of a Nissan Leaf and the looks of a Scion Cube. I'd expected something Tesla-ish.
It cannot be driven in all-electric mode.
Actually, it can, but the range is estimated at 12mi (19km).
So yeah, the electric motors are there for the constant and instant torque, not for billionaire eco-weenies to feel good about themselves.
Not easily. With Tesla you're getting a lot more than just a car. You're also getting access to the largest network of rapid chargers along major routes. Next week I'm driving from the SF Bay Area up to Seattle in my Tesla. At least from the Bay Area to Grant's Pass OR I'll spend around 90 minutes charging for that route with most stops being 20-30 minutes. Right now I can drive from San Diego to Edmonton Canada or across the country to the East Coast on Tesla's superchargers. There's already a huge amount of charging infrastructure in place with more going online quite rapidly. There is nothing equivalent right now for non-Tesla EVs. Sure, there's a lot of ChaDeMo chargers in urban centers but there are many places where it's quite difficult to go. I have a friend with a Leaf and it takes him at least a couple of days to reach the Oregon border from the SF Bay Area since he has to spend a significant amount of time charging at RV parks since there's no infrastructure between major urban areas.
Also, I don't think there are many CCS chargers that could output anywhere near enough to charge the Porsche to 80% in 15 minutes. Tesla's supercharger network outputs 120KW (135 in Europe). Also, unlike the mish-mash of CCS and ChaDeMo chargers, they're being installed along major routes. It will be at least several years until CCS catches up with where Tesla's network is now. As it is, Tesla owners with the ChaDeMo adapter have been complaining that many ChaDeMo chargers can't even handle 45KW without overheating (even in the dead of winter when it's 0F outside).
Tesla also will have the battery manufacturing capacity to significantly cut prices on the batteries. Additionally, they're already starting to offset their charging stations with solar and grid-tied batteries to significantly reduce peak electricity usage and cut costs. Also, nobody has talked about the price of the Porsche. You can bet that it will be a lot more expensive than Tesla.
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once you get above 300 volts you have to start really dealing with NFPA-70E Arc flash regulations (below 300 is only an issue if "exposed" other wise it is avoid contact).
If you then start getting above 750 and in the kV range you start dealing with hard regulations around approach boundaries
751-15kV is 2'2" restricted boundaries (requires PPE and training) and 7" prohibited boundary (meaning you can't be within 7 inches of a live line in that range period)
My bet is that no car manufacturer wants to deal with having to design a charging station standard which requires people to hook it up, step away, AND have a method for ensuring that there is zero possibility of someone within the area.
When you have power in that voltage range someone will be liable for safety in that area, and car manufactures can not insure that the operator of the car and charging station have had the appropriate training or PPE available so they most likely won't go there. Even on industrial equipment that uses this level voltage most OEMs have safety interlocks so that you can't accidentally get into an energized compartment.
Sorry you just won't see real high voltage charging systems for consumer cars. This is one of the reasons they will have to figure out how to deal with the current side of the problem.
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
His son Ferry is the Porsche car maker we all know... and did the 356.
His grandson Ferdinand Piech is the Porsche car maker we all should know... and did the 240mph 917/30, the Quattro (amen) and the Bugatti Veyron. Hell, he even designed the most reliable and indestructible engine ever put in a passenger car (the Mercedes turbo-charged five-cylinder). These may be among the reasons that it was he (and not his father or grandfather) who won Car Executive of the Century.