I would be lying to you if I said that I wasn’t excited for the Porsche Mission E. I mean, come on, just look at it. You get the sporty styling of a Porsche, the luxury of a German automobile, and the snappy break-neck acceleration of an electric car… just as long as you don’t compare it to a Tesla.
In a recent interview, the head of EVs at Porsche, Stefan Weckbach, took a jab at the domestic automaker over its inability to sustain prolonged performance, promising that the Germans can do better.
According to AutoBlog, Weckbach called Tesla’s system “throttled,” and specifically noted that “Porsche drivers won’t need to worry about that because the Mission E’s being developed to deliver reproducible performance and a top speed which can be maintained for long periods.”
According to a post made on Telsa Motors Club, a user noticed that after a finite number of hard launches, his P90D Model S became weaker.
This was reportedly later confirmed by a representative who said, “Using launch mode places an increased stress on the entire powertrain accelerating aging and fatigue of various components.” The representative goes on to mention, “The computer systems automatically track launch mode usage and continually estimate fatigue damage. Depending on how launch mode is used, the computer may eventually limit the available power during launch mode to protect the powertrain.” In 2017, however, Tesla stated that they would be removing these limitations and rather notifying its drivers if their vehicles require service from premature wear.
Though the same initial rep reportedly claimed that this is a common strategy employed in other high-performance cars, Porsche is determined to break the barrier that Tesla states it no longer has. The Mission E might be a second slower than a Model S when sprinting zero to 60, but that won’t stop customers from seeking the Mission E as an alternative buy for the Model S. Stemming from a realization that Porsche was losing some of its luxury customers to Tesla, the Mission E is the snarky answer to a question Porsche rarely has to answer: “Who is your competition?”
In fact, everything about the Mission E screams payback. From the flashy modern styling, to the hellish performance, and even the tech-heavy luxury interior. Porsche wants you to want its electric offering more than Tesla’s, and it might be easier than they think to stomach. Weckbach also took the time in the interview to take a jab at other manufacturers by mentioned that Porsche was “unlikely to lower itself to […] use sound effects,” though in order to comply with U.S. law, the Mission E will need to make some sort of sound by 2020.
As kids, we may have had a poster of a Dodge Charger or Porsche 911 on our walls, but soon kids will begin having electric dreams and those posters will be replaced by something not with a V8 engine, but with a battery and electric motor. Whether the Mission E surpasses the market for the Model S or not, it will still be a car that many want. We’re at the bottom of an uphill battle for electric car supremacy, and the next few years will determine who gets to the top first.