Porsche
Porsche Mission E http://newsroom.porsche.com

Porsche has announced its new sports car concept called the “Mission E” at the Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile (IAA) show in Frankfurt. This is the maiden venture of the iconic German auto maker into the business of luxury all-electric cars. The new concept car combines an 800 volt drive system with the impeccable design that has made Porsche famous.

Porsche said the Mission E’s power plant can generate up to 600 horsepower and can propel the car from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in about 3.5 seconds. The four-seat sports car has a driving range of more than 500 km on a single battery charge. The car’s pioneering and innovative 800 volt technology is double the voltage in today’s’ electric vehicles. Porsche claims the car has a driving range of 400 kilometers on a charging time of some 15 minutes.

Also at the IAA, Audi announced an electric SUV, “e-tron Quattro”, that has a range of 500 km on a single charge. The concept car uses the power of three electric motors and combines the design with sleek aerodynamics and all-electric drive system. An integrated intelligent drive management system controls all other on-board systems.

“Audi will present an all-electric, luxury-class sport SUV in early 2018. The Audi e-tron Quattro concept provides a concrete foretaste of this,” said Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Audi Board of Management for Technical Development.

The high-performance electric car market has gained momentum with the new concepts unveiled by Porsche and Audi. The entry of high-profile luxury automakers into the all-electric market is a direct challenge to Tesla, the U.S. electric car pioneer.

Both the newly launched electric cars from Porsche and Audi will be in showrooms by 2018. In the meantime, Tesla Motors plans to launch its first luxury electric-car, the Model X, on Sept.29, according to Reuters.

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