Tesla is the top dog in the electric car world... but for how long?
Even though the company can't make a profit and has constantly missed predictions on production capacity, it is the darling of Wall Street and automotive circles. Hundreds of thousands of people (myself included) have preordered the Model 3 without ever having sat in it.
Tesla has the quickest production car in the world in the Model S P100D and no other company has an EV with as much range as Tesla's lineup. Can any other automaker compete in the electric car arms race?
Don't look now, but Porsche is coming up quickly in the rear-view mirror... and they have a not-so-secret weapon that could knock Tesla off of its post as the Electric King.
What am I referring to? Not performance, range or affordability.
I'm referring to charging time.
Porsche recently announced that their upcoming electric sedan, codenamed Mission E, will begin production in late 2019.
In conjunction with the vehicle’s launch, Porsche will be installing 500 350kw charging stations across the United States. At 350kw, these chargers can add 250 miles of range to an electric car battery in just 15 minutes.
There are other companies like Ionity and ABB that are launching 350kw charging stations in the US and Europe.
But Porsche is the only performance brand launching such an effort... and here is the catch:
None of the EVs on the road today - including Teslas - can charge at the maximum speed threshold of these 350kw chargers.
Only Porsche's Mission E is reported to have this ultra-fast charging capability... and since the Mission E prototype has been spied testing alongside Model S sedans it's clear that Porsche is aiming to compete against it
Tesla's Superchargers have a peak power output of 120-145, which takes about 40-50 minutes to add 250 miles of range to the Model S. Porsche's Mission E threatens to cut the wait time by up to 70% -- and use that advantage on any charging station with a 350kw power output.
Porsche could become the only luxury automaker to say you can charge its car in less time than it takes to finish your morning coffee.
And in the era of convenience and instant gratification, that could steal Tesla's thunder.
Sources:
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1116278_porsche-plans-500-fast-chargers-in-us-by-end-of-2019
https://www.tesla.com/blog/new-tesla-model-s-now-quickest-production-car-world