Porsche revealed its plan to address the problem of range anxiety, one of the biggest concerns of consumers with its upcoming Porsche Mission E and all other electric vehicles.
The Porsche Mission E, which in 2015 received the green light to go from concept to production with an expected launch date of 2019 or 2020, is being considered as a challenger to the Tesla Model S.
Porsche To Equip Dealerships With Fast Charging Stations
Range anxiety kicks in when electric car owners are unsure if the charge in their vehicle will be able to get them to where they are going. Most American drivers drive no more than 50 miles daily, but tanks good for 400 miles and filling stations in almost every corner make it tough for consumers to let go of gasoline-powered vehicles.
To further promote the upcoming Mission E, Porsche revealed its plan to address range anxiety. The Porsche Mission E will be able to add 250 miles of range after being plugged in for just 20 minutes, in fast charging stations that will be available in all Porsche dealerships across the United States.
"One of our priorities will be to equip our 189 dealerships with 800-volt DC fast-chargers," said Porsche Cars North America CEO Klaus Zellmer.
The Porsche Mission E, however, will still feel like a Porsche luxury car, despite the replacement of the internal combustion engine with an electric motor.
"The entire company is working towards a single goal: with Mission E, we will offer a fully electric Porsche which is a perfect fit for our brand, finds approval with our customers, and rightfully bears the name 'Porsche,'" said Porsche's head of battery electric vehicles Stefan Weckbach.
Porsche vs Tesla In Electric Car Race
The move by Porsche serves as a challenge to Tesla, the current leader in the high-end electric vehicle market.
Tesla recognized the need to address range anxiety early, as it launched a nationwide network of charging stations across the United States starting 2012. However, in comparison with Porsche's planned fast charging stations, Tesla's Superchargers are only capable of delivering 480 volts. These numbers may not be directly comparable, but it may be assured that the Porsche Mission E will charge quicker than the Tesla Model S.
Tesla, however, already has thousands of Supercharger stations across the world, making them more accessible compared to the 189 Porsche dealerships that will be equipped with fast-charging stations. It took Tesla two years to establish its 100th Supercharger station in 2014 though.
If the Porsche Mission E wants to pose as a legitimate challenger to the Tesla Model S, and possibly also to the upcoming Tesla Roadster, making its fast-charging stations more accessible will greatly help.
