Porsche developing next-generation four-motor electric powertrain

Porsche Engineering have revealed they are working on a torque control system for a next generation four-motor all-wheel-drive electric SUV powertrain that provides maximum stability and safety in every situation—without additional sensors on board.

As Porsche explains, what makes a four-motor powertrain desirable isn't so much more power, but more control. Each motor can be controlled individually and immediately, rather than relying on analogue mechanical differentials and inefficient hydraulic braking systems that don't react as fast or as precisely. Solid state digital control is good for safety and stability in inclement weather and for improved performance and handling in dry weather. Basically, it's the most high performance, responsive, adjustable and energy efficient torque-vectoring system possible.

An electric all-wheel-drive vehicle with multiple motors has a fundamental advantage over gasoline or diesel engines: The front and rear axles, indeed all four wheels, have their own electric motors, enabling extremely variable distribution of the drive power. “It’s almost as if you had a separate gas pedal for each axle or wheel,” explains Ulf Hintze of Porsche Engineering.

The e-tron SUV concept unveiled by sister company Audi back in 2015 was originally intended to come with three electric motors. Unfortunately the dual motor rear eAxle didn't make it into the production version.

In a possibly related development, Porsche recently increased their ownership stake in Rimac to 15.5% following their 2018 investment for 10% of the business. Rimac developed a quad motor all-wheel-drive torque vector system for their Concept One hypercar.

Press Release:

Thanks to variably distributable drive power, electric vehicles with separately powered wheels can remain stable even in critical situations— as long as the torque control reliably detects deviations from the target state and reacts immediately. Porsche Engineering has developed and tested a solution for e-SUVs that does precisely that. Without additional sensors— entirely through software.

It’s a situation that every driver dreads: a snow-covered road, a surprisingly tight corner, and barely any time to brake. With a normal vehicle, a dangerous loss of control is an all-too-real possibility. The rear could swing out, causing the car to spin and land in the ditch. Yet in this test, everything goes differently: The driver turns and the SUV steers confidently into the corner—without even slowing down. A glance at the speedometer (80 km/h is the reading) removes all doubt that this is no ordinary vehicle. The SUV being tested in this wintry environment is an electrically powered all-wheel-drive vehicle with four motors— one for each wheel.

Until now, this drive technology was seen only in Mars rovers, but now it has reached the everyday world: Porsche Engineering recently developed a torque control system for electrically powered series SUVs. It was truly pioneering work. “We had to develop a lot of it from the ground up,” says Dr. Martin Rezac, Team Leader for Function Development at Porsche Engineering. There was also an additional challenge: The driving characteristics had to be optimized exclusively through software. The Porsche engineers could not install any additional sensors and had to use the existing control devices. The task, in short, was essentially driving stability by app.

Purely electronic control of torque

An electric all-wheel-drive vehicle with multiple motors has a fundamental advantage over gasoline or diesel engines: The front and rear axles, indeed all four wheels, have their own electric motors, enabling extremely variable distribution of the drive power. “It’s almost as if you had a separate gas pedal for each axle or wheel,” explains Ulf Hintze of Porsche Engineering. In a conventional all-wheel-drive vehicle, there is just one engine at work, whose power is distributed to the axles through a central differential. As a rule, the torque ratio is fixed: one-third up front and two-thirds in the back, for instance. The ratio can, in theory, be changed, but additional mechanical gadgetry is required for that (multi-plate friction clutch), and it works rather sluggishly. In an electric vehicle, by contrast, the torque is purely electronically controlled, which works considerably faster than mechanical clutches. Every millisecond, intelligent software distributes the forces in such a way that the vehicle always behaves neutrally.

And Porsche Engineering developed just such a torque control system for all-wheel drive SUVs. The software can be used for different constellations and motor configurations—for other electric vehicle types as well, of course. In general, development begins with the base distribution, i.e. software that controls how much power is transmitted to the front and rear axle, respectively. For straight-line driving and balanced weight scenario, for example, a 50/50 distribution would make sense. If the driver accelerates, the software switches to full rear-wheel drive—or all frontwheel drive around a sharp bend. “This makes the vehicle noticeably more stable, even for the passenger,” says function developer Rezac. As the optimization is achieved entirely electronically, theoretically it would even be possible to offer the driver various different configurations: one mode for sports car sprightliness, another for smooth cruising.

The second task of the control software is to adjust the torque to the wheel speed. The algorithms follow a simple objective: All wheels are supposed to spin at the same speed. That’s easy to accomplish on a dry freeway, but it is considerably trickier when driving on a snowy mountain pass. If the front wheels encounter an icy patch, for example, they could—without electronic intervention—start spinning. But the torque control system detects the suboptimal situation immediately and directs the torque to the wheels that are turning more slowly and still have grip within fractions of a second. There is something similar in the world of combustion engines—the speed-sensing limited-slip differential, also known by the brand name Visco Lok. In this component, gear wheels and hydraulics ensure that no wheel turns faster than the others. But mechanical solutions are slow. In an electric SUV, by contrast, software assumes the role of the differential— with much swifter reactions and naturally entirely without wear.

The third and most important function of the torque control system lies in its control of lateral dynamics, i.e. the ability to neutralize critical driving situations like the one mentioned at the outset: a slippery surface, a tight corner, and high speed. An uncontrolled vehicle would quickly understeer in this situation. In other words, the driver initiates the turn, but the vehicle slides in a straight line without slowing down. The control software in the e-SUV immediately puts an end to understeering. In a left-hand turn, it would brake the rear left wheel and accelerate the right one until a neutral driving situation was restored. The system takes similar measures when oversteer occurs (rear end swinging out). The driver, meanwhile, ideally notices nothing of these interventions, because the torque control system acts very subtly and quickly. “It feels like driving on rails—an SUV behaves with the agility of a sports car,” says Hintze, summarizing the effect.

The observer module keeps watch

The driving state observer (shortened to simply the “observer” by the engineers) is involved in all intervention decisions. This software module continuously monitors a variety of factors: how forcefully the steering wheel was turned, how much the driver is accelerating, and how much the vehicle is turning around its vertical axis. The data is provided by a yaw sensor. This actual status is compared with a dynamic model of the vehicle that represents the target state under normal conditions. If the observer detects deviations, for instance due to oversteer or understeer, the software intervenes. If the vehicle is not turning into a corner as quickly as would be expected from the current steering wheel position and speed, individual wheels are selectively braked until the direction is back on line.

The same effect may be achieved by a conventional electronic stability control (ESP) system as well—but in an electrically powered all-wheel-drive vehicle, the safety system can do more: While a conventional ESP system only brakes, in an electric vehicle the individual wheels can be accelerated as well. This “pulls” the vehicle back onto the right track without losing speed. The intervention is also less jerky than in a hydraulic ESP system; the typical juddering familiar from anti-lock brake systems is omitted.

“The development of the vehicle observer was the biggest challenge,” says Rezac. The fact that so much development work was required here goes back to a fundamental problem: A car knows relatively little about its own state. It doesn’t know its own speed; it can only derive it from the speed of the wheels, which is difficult on ice and snow particularly. The observer therefore has to use additional information about the longitudinal and lateral acceleration in order to estimate the speed. The information regarding weight distribution is equally vague. While the suspension does capture the load on the individual wheels, even this information provides mere clues rather than certainty. If the shock absorbers report increased weight on the rear axle, for example, it could be due to the vehicle being parked on a slope—or simply being heavily loaded.

The data situation is decidedly meager. And because the client insisted that no additional sensors could be added, the SUV project called on the creativity of the software developers. “The observer has to estimate the vehicle’s important parameters,” explains Rezac. Some unusual data sources are brought to bear: The torque control system communicates with a sensor that detects the inclination of the car, for example, which is usually used for the automatic adjustment of the headlights.

The entire software package not only had to be developed, but calibrated in real test drives. And all that in a very short period of time: There were just two winters available in which the fine-tuning could be tested on a frozen river. It emerged, among other things, that the great advantage of electric motors—their rapid reaction times—sometimes resulted in undesired side effects. “The electric motors respond so quickly that vibrations can occur,” reports Hintze, who conducted the test drives with his team. In a few situations the software transfered the torque between the axles at increasingly fast intervals, which resulted in an audible revving of the motors. Thanks to close collaboration between the calibration team and the development team around Martin Rezac, however, they quickly managed to put a stop to this build-up through a modification of the software.

This detailed work is exactly where the challenge lies in such projects. As the software is to be used in a series vehicle, it has to be tested for every imaginable situation, no matter how improbable it might seem. If the sensor reports faulty data, for example, the torque control has to decide if it is still allowed to function even without the data source or should be switched off. Another hurdle was posed by the limits of the electric drive technology. It may be the case, for example, that individual e-motors cannot transmit the available battery power. The function developers had to take such limitations into account. “The control range collapses in this case,” says Hintze. Instead of 100 percent torque on one axle, perhaps only 60 percent might be available. And the torque control has to take that into account as well. But all involved are convinced: The pioneering work was well worth the effort, as electric vehicles with up to four motors will soon shed their exotic reputation. And many drivers will be grateful that they can drive through the snow as if on rails.

BMW unveil ultra-fast 450 Kw EV charging station

BMW and industrial companies involved in the research project “FastCharge” yesterday presented the latest advancements in the field of fast and convenient energy supply for electrically powered vehicles. The prototype of a charging station with a capacity of up to 450 kW was inaugurated in Jettingen-Scheppach, Bavaria. At this ultra-fast charging station, electrically powered research vehicles created as part of the project are able to demonstrate charging times of less than three minutes for the first 100 kilometres of range or 15 minutes for a full charge (10-80 % State of Charge (SOC)).

The new charging station can be used free of charge right away and is suitable for electric models of all brands with the Type 2 version of the internationally widespread Combined Charging System (CCS), as is commonly used in Europe.

The research project “FastCharge” is being run by an industry consortium under the leadership of the BMW Group; its other members are Allego GmbH, Phoenix Contact E-Mobility GmbH, Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG and Siemens AG. “FastCharge” is receiving total funding of EUR 7.8 million from the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. The implementation of the funding directives is being coordinated by NOW GmbH (National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology).

Fast and convenient charging will enhance the appeal of electromobility. The increase in charging capacity up to 450 kW – between three and nine times the capacity available at DC fast-charging stations to date – enables a substantial reduction in charging times. “FastCharge” is investigating the technical requirements that need to be met in terms of both vehicles and infrastructure in order to be able to tap into these extremely high charging capacities.

The basis is provided by a high-performance charging infrastructure. The Siemens energy supply system being used in the project enables researchers to test the limits of the fast-charging capacity demonstrated by vehicle batteries. It can already handle higher voltages of up to 920 volts – the level anticipated in future electrically powered vehicles. The system integrates both the high-power electronics for the charging connections as well as the communication interface to the electric vehicles. This charge controller ensures the output is automatically adapted so that different electric cars can be charged using a single infrastructure. The system’s flexible, modular architecture permits several vehicles to be charged at the same time. Thanks to high-current, high-voltage charging the system is suitable for a number of different applications, including fleet charging solutions and, as in this case, charging along highways. In order to link the system to the public power grid in Jettingen-Scheppach as part of the project, a charging container was set up with two charging connections: one provides an unprecedented charging capacity of max. 450 kW while the second can deliver up to 175 kW. Both charging stations are now available for use free of charge for all vehicles which are CCS-compatible.

The Allego charging station prototypes now presented use the European Type 2 version of the well-established Combined Charging System (CCS) charging connectors. This standard has already proved successful in numerous electrically powered vehicles and is widely used internationally.

In order to meet the demands of fast charging at high capacity, cooled HPC (High Power Charging) cables made by Phoenix Contact are used, which are fully CCS-compatible. The cooling fluid is an environment-friendly mixture of water and glycol, allowing the cooling circuit to be half-open. This makes maintenance comparatively straightforward as compared to hermetically sealed systems that use oil, e.g. in terms of refilling the cooling fluid.

One challenge was ensuring that the cooling hoses in the charging line were not squeezed when connected to the charging station, as would happen with a conventional cable gland. In the present instance this would impair the cooling flow and therefore cooling efficiency. This problem was solved by Phoenix Contact by means of a specially developed wall duct with defined interfaces for power transmission, communication and cooling as well as integrated tension relief.

Depending on the model, the new ultra-fast charging station can be used for vehicles fitted with both 400 V and 800 V battery systems. Its charging capacity automatically adapts to the maximum permitted charging capacity on the vehicle side. The time saved as a result of the increased charging capacities is demonstrated in the example of the BMW i3 research vehicle. A single 10-80 % SOC charging operation now only takes 15 minutes for the high-voltage battery, which has a net capacity of 57 kWh. This can be achieved on the vehicle side by means of a specially developed high-voltage battery combined with an intelligent charging strategy. The latter includes precise preconditioning of the storage temperature at the start of charging, temperature management during the charging operation itself and a perfectly coordinated charging capacity profile over time. The charging operation is carried out via a novel multi-voltage network on the vehicle side using a high-voltage DC/DC (HV-DC/DC) converter, transforming the required 800 V input voltage of the charging station to the lower 400 V system voltage of the BMW i3 research vehicle. The HV-DC/DC system also gives the vehicle reverse compatibility, allowing it to be charged at both old and future charging stations. A key factor in ensuring reliable operation is secure communication between the vehicle and the charging station. For this reason, standardisation issues relating to interoperability are also being investigated and submitted to standardisation bodies.

The Porsche research vehicle with a net battery capacity of approx. 90 kWh achieves a charging capacity of more than 400 kW, thereby allowing charging times of less than three minutes for the first 100 km of range.

Porsche Cayman e-volution rips 0-100 km/h in 3.3 Seconds

Porsche have showcased an electric vehicle concept at the Electric Vehicle Symposium in Stuttgart. The Cayman e-volution is a research vehicle with a charging voltage of 800 volts that accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds and offers a range of 200 kilometres. The vehicle will not go into series production, but does give an early indication of just how sporty Porsche believes e-mobility can be.

The Cayman e-volution also hints at what is to come in 2019, when Porsche will bring its first purely electric sports car, the Mission E, into production. The Mission E will be capable of covering a range of over 500 kilometres, and will be able to charge its batteries to 80 per cent within just 15 minutes.

With Porsche Turbo Charging, the sports car manufacturer is also showcasing its first ever accumulator-based fast charging system, which is capable of achieving a charging capacity of up to 320 kW per vehicle or twice 160 kW. The system is a collaborative development between Porsche Engineering and ADS-TEC, and is particularly suitable for use in areas where the distribution system is subject to power limitations.

The system is to be used as a supplement to high-power fast charging network with medium voltage connection. One of these networks will be built on major European traffic routes by 2020 in a joint venture between Porsche, Audi, BMW, Daimler and Ford.

Porsche trials full electric 40 ton truck for logistics

More than 600 trucks arrive at the Porsche plant in Leipzig every day as part of the company’s logistics network. Now the first truck with a purely electric drive is being used between the logistics centre and the assembly supply centre. This action is part of the eJIT research project, which involves Porsche Leipzig as well as IAV GmbH, Schnellecke Logistics, Volkswagen Sachsen and the Saxony Automotive Supplier Network. The aim of the pilot project is to test the use of electric trucks under real conditions in multi-shift operation at automotive plants.

The electric truck is charged during the planned waiting times while it is being loaded at the supply centre. The battery is charged while the process is ongoing using a 150-kW fast charger, enabling the truck to be used in three-shift operation. Once fully charged, the truck has a range of around 70 kilometres and a top speed of 85 kilometres per hour. Alongside the project at Porsche Leipzig, a second electric truck is being tested by Volkswagen Sachsen at the Zwickau plant.

The eJIT project is intended to run for a total of three years

A second stage of the project is scheduled for the coming year, with the Porsche plant in Leipzig set to operate a highly automated vehicle from 2018 onwards. The eJIT project is intended to run for a total of three years. The project partners IAV GmbH, Porsche Leipzig, Schnellecke Logistics, Volkswagen Sachsen and the Saxony Automotive Supplier Network have been working together since early 2016 on the electrification of trucks, with the aim of reducing noise and emissions at automotive sites.

The project is part of the technology programme “Information and communication technology for electric mobility III: Integrating commercial e-vehicles in logistics, energy, and mobility infrastructure”, which is run by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and is a continuation of the previous research into the commercial use of electric mobility.

German OEMs Plan 350 kW Fast Charging Network Across Europe

BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create the highest-powered charging network in Europe. The goal is the quick build-up of a sizable number of stations in order to enable long-range travel for battery electric vehicle drivers. This will be an important step towards facilitating mass-market BEV adoption.

The projected ultra-fast high-powered charging network with power levels up to 350 kW will be significantly faster than the most powerful charging system deployed today. The build-up is planned to start in 2017. An initial target of about 400 sites in Europe is planned. By 2020 the customers should have access to thousands of high-powered charging points. The goal is to enable long-distance travel through open-network charging stations along highways and major thoroughfares, which has not been feasible for most BEV drivers to date. The charging experience is expected to evolve to be as convenient as refueling at conventional gas stations.

The network will be based on Combined Charging System (CCS) standard technology. The planned charging infrastructure expands the existing technical standard for AC- and DC charging of electric vehicles to the next level of capacity for DC fast charging with up to 350 kW. BEVs that are engineered to accept this full power of the charge stations can recharge brand-independently in a fraction of the time of today’s BEVs. The network is intended to serve all CCS equipped vehicles to facilitate the BEV adoption in Europe.

Volkswagen planning a multi-billion euro battery factory

Volkswagen is considering building a multi-billion-euro battery factory as part of a major expansion of its electric-car portfolio, Handelsblatt has learned from company sources.

The factory would allow VW to operate independently of Asian firms like Panasonic, LG and Samsung that have dominated the battery market to date.

VW Chief Executive Matthias Müller and his team are currently working on a new strategy to increase electric car sales in the coming 10 years to 1 million. The non-executive supervisory board will consider the plans before the Wolfsburg-based firm’s annual meeting on June 22.

The aim of the new plans in part is also to put the recent “Dieselgate” scandal over cheating emissions tests behind it. The hope is that focusing on battery technology and electric cars can help the beleaguered company make a fresh start and improve its negative image.

Building a new battery factory would also allow VW to take a leadership role in the development of the new technology. The company’s executive board looks likely to approve the plan, which is also supported in principle by the works council and the state of Lower Saxony, its major shareholder, sources said.

VW invested in solid-state battery startup QuantumScape in late 2014 and have publicly stated they expect the technology can deliver 700 km range. VW is also targeting a 66 percent cost reduction by using a single battery module design for all of its electrified vehicles.

“We want to launch a major initiative, one that will put us at the top of the industry,” said one insider familiar with the plans.

To date one of the main reasons established automakers have been reluctant to move into high volume EV manufacture is having to outsource battery production. Where the largest cost component in an internal combustion car is the engine itself, which virtually all automakers build in-house, in an EV it is the battery that is the most expensive component. Automakers need to vertically integrate battery production into their manufacturing process in order to make EVs profitable.

Panasonic & Bosch bid for Porsche Mission-E battery

Porsche AG has been weighing bids from Panasonic Corp. and Robert Bosch GmbH for a long-range battery as it prepares to challenge Tesla Motors Inc. with an all-electric sports car, according to people familiar with the matter.

Costs for the package offered by crosstown neighbor Bosch would be higher than the competing technology from Japanese peer Panasonic, which supplies Tesla’s batteries, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are confidential. The advantage to Bosch’s offer would be less-complex logistics.

“We’re in the final stage of making a decision,” Porsche Chief Executive Officer Oliver Blume said in an interview last week at the Geneva International Motor Show. He declined to comment on the suppliers being considered.

The unit of Volkswagen AG, Europe’s largest automaker, earmarked 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to build its first battery-powered sports car in December. It’s part of the parent company’s broader push for more low-emission electric and hybrid cars. Volkswagen has sped up its electric efforts since admitting six months ago it had cheated on emissions tests for diesel cars.

Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said a week ago the company, a fellow Volkswagen unit, will purchase batteries for its electric vehicles from Korean suppliers LG Chem Ltd. and Samsung Electronics Co., who have plans in place to start producing battery cells in Europe.

Electric Investment

With the Volkswagen scandal throwing the long-term future of diesel into question, other carmakers are also turning anew to electric cars. Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz said last week it will invest 500 million euros to build a second battery factory in Germany because it expects demand to pick up.

Porsche’s electric sports car will be based on the low-slung Mission E concept shown at the Frankfurt auto show six months ago. Set to be produced near the automaker’s German headquarters in Stuttgart, the new model will create some 1,000 jobs.

A spokesman for Porsche referred to the brand’s annual earnings conference, scheduled Friday morning, and declined to comment beforehand. Bosch declined to comment. Yayoi Watanabe, a spokeswoman for Panasonic, declined to comment.

Porsche aims to offer hybrids across model range

Porsche aims to offer hybrid versions of all its models in the foreseeable future, Porsche Chief Executive Oliver Blume told a German newspaper.

A plug-in hybrid of the 911 model with a range of 50 kilometers (31.1 miles) will hit the market in 2018 already, Westfalen-Blatt quoted Blume as saying in a summary of an interview to be published on Monday.

Porsche said last month it would spend about 1 billion euros ($1.08 billion) on production facilities at its biggest plant to make its first ever all-electric sports car, reflecting parent VW's growing commitment to increase its electric offerings as it struggles to overcome an emissions scandal.

Porsche plans to bring the Mission E model, with more than 600 horsepower and a range of over 500 km, to market by the end of the decade.

At the same time, CEO Blume said he did not believe driverless cars were in Porsche's future, saying "an iPhone belongs in your pocket, not on the road", and that Porsche did not need to team up with any big technology companies.

"Partnerships are generally not a bad idea if one's own competencies are insufficient. But we are on the one hand part of a strong company and on the other hand have no plans to lead the charge in this area. We'll leave that to others," he said.

Porsche to invest $1 billion to launch battery-powered Mission E [VIDEO]

Porsche will spend about 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion) on production facilities at its biggest plant to make its first-ever all-electric sports car.

The Volkswagen-owned manufacturer will create more than 1,000 new jobs at its base in Zuffenhausen in Germany where a new paint shop and assembly line will be set up to build the battery-powered "Mission E" model, Porsche said on Friday.

Porsche's investment in emissions-free drive technology reflects parent VW's growing commitment to increase its electric offerings as it struggles to overcome an emissions scandal.

VW has said the next generation of its VW-badged flagship luxury saloon Phaeton will be electric and it plans to expand the so-called MQB modular production platform to focus more strongly on long-range plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles.

Analysts have warned that VW's admission of rigging diesel emissions tests could cast a shadow over the diesel vehicle industry.

Porsche's Mission E model, due to come to market by the end of the decade, will be more than 600 horsepower and have a range of over 500 km (310 mile).

"We are sending a significant sign for the future of the brand," Chairman Wolfgang Porsche said after a meeting of the supervisory board which approved the investment.

Some 700 million euros will be spent at Zuffenhausen where an existing engine plant and body shop will be extended, and the rest will be invested in Porsche's development center in Weissach, the carmaker said.

Source: Porsche

2018 Porsche Mission-E 600 hp AWD Electric Vehicle Concept [VIDEO]

In presenting the Mission E at the IAA in Frankfurt, Porsche is introducing the first all-electrically powered four-seat sports car in the brand's history. The concept car combines the unmistakable emotional design of a Porsche with excellent performance and the forward-thinking practicality of the first 800-volt drive system. Key specification data of this fascinating sports car: four doors and four single seats, over 600 hp (440 kW) system power and over 500 km driving range. All-wheel drive and all-wheel steering, zero to 100 km/h acceleration in under 3.5 seconds and a charging time of around 15 minutes to reach an 80 per cent charge of electrical energy. Instruments are intuitively operated by eye-tracking and gesture control, some even via holograms – highly oriented toward the driver by automatically adjusting the displays to the driver's position.

Drive system: over 600 hp with technologies from endurance racing

The drive system of the Mission E is entirely new, yet it is typical Porsche, i.e. proven in motor racing. Two permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) – similar to those used in this year's Le Mans victor, the 919 hybrid – accelerate the sports car and recover braking energy. The best proof of a Porsche is 24 hours of top racing performance and a 1-2 finish. Together the two motors produce over 600 hp, and they propel the Mission E to a speed of 100 km/h in less than 3.5 seconds and to 200 km/h in under twelve seconds. In addition to their high efficiency, power density and uniform power development, they offer another advantage: unlike today's electric drive systems, they can develop their full power even after multiple accelerations at short intervals. The need-based all-wheel drive system with Porsche Torque Vectoring – which automatically distributes torque to the individual wheels – transfers the drive system's power to the road, and all-wheel steering gives precise, sporty steering in the desired direction. This makes the Mission E fit for the circuit race track; its lap time on the Nürburgring Nordschleife is under the eight-minute mark.

Everyday practicality: convenient and quick charging, over 500 km driving range

It is not just passionate sportiness that makes up a Porsche but also a high level of everyday practicality. Accordingly, the Mission E can travel over 500 km on one battery charge, and it can be charged with enough energy for around 400 km more driving range in about fifteen minutes. The reason: Porsche is a front-runner in introducing innovative 800-volt technology for the first time. Doubling the voltage – compared to today's electric vehicles that operate at 400 volts – offers multiple advantages: shorter charging times and lower weight, because lighter, smaller gage copper cables are sufficient for energy transport. A moveable body segment on the front left wing in front of the driver's door gives access to the charging port for the innovative "Porsche Turbo Charging" system. Via the 800-volt port, the battery can be charged to approximately 80 per cent of its capacity in around 15 minutes – a record time for electric vehicles. As an alternative, the technology platform can be connected to a conventional 400-volt charging station, or it can be replenished at home in the garage via convenient inductive charging by simply parking over a coil embedded in the floor of the garage from which the energy is transferred without cables to a coil on the car's underbody.

Low centre of gravity for superior driving dynamics

Another feature that is typical of a Porsche sports car is a lightweight concept with optimal weight distribution and a low centre of gravity. The battery mounted in the car's underbody, which is based on the latest lithium-ion technology, runs the whole length between the front and rear axles. This distributes its weight to the two drive axles uniformly, resulting in exceptionally good balance. In addition, it makes the sports car's centre of gravity extremely low. Both of these factors significantly boost performance and a sports car feeling. The body as a whole is made up of a functional mix of aluminium, steel and carbon fibre reinforced polymer. The wheels are made of carbon: the Mission E has wide tyres mounted on 21-inch wheels in front and 22-inch wheels at the rear.

Design: fascinating sports car with Porsche DNA

Every square inch, every angle, every radius of the Mission E reflects one thing above all else: emotional sportiness in the best tradition of Porsche design. The starting point is the sculpture of a sport saloon with a low height of 130 cm with sports car attributes from Zuffenhausen that embodies visible innovations such as its integrated aerodynamics. Distinctive air inlets and outlets – on the front, sides and at the rear – typify the body's full flow-through design that enhances efficiency and performance. Integrated air guides improve airflow around the wheels, for instance, and air outlets on the sides reduce overpressure in the wheel wells, thereby reducing lift.

The much reduced sculpting of the front end shows a classic Porsche sweepback, and it relates the concept car to the 918 Spyder and Porsche race cars. A new type of matrix LED headlights in the brand's typical four-point light design captures the viewer's gaze. Integrated as an element hovering in the airflow of the air inlet, they lend a futuristic character to the front end. The four LED units are grouped around a flat sensor for assistance systems whose border serves as an indicator light. Distinctive front wings and an extremely low-cut bonnet reference 911 design. As in the 911 GT3 RS, a wide characteristic recess extends from the overlapping front luggage compartment lid up and over the roof. The line of the side windows is also similar to that of the 911, however, with one important difference: two counter-opening doors enable convenient entry – without a B-pillar. Another difference: instead of the classic door mirror, inconspicuous cameras are mounted on the sides that contribute to the car's exceptional aerodynamics.

The rear design underscores the typical sports car architecture. The lean cabin with its accelerated rear windscreen, which draws inward at the rear, creates space for the sculpted shape of the rear wings that only a Porsche can have. A three-dimensional "PORSCHE" badge illuminated from inside hovers beneath an arch of light that extends across the entire width in a black glass element.

Interior: light and open with four single seats

The interior of the Mission E transfers all of the traditional Porsche design principles into the future: openness, purist design, clean architecture, driver orientation and everyday practicality. The all-electric drive concept made it possible to fully reinterpret the interior. The lack of a transmission tunnel, for instance, opens up space and gives a lighter and more airy atmosphere to the entire interior. Race bucket seats served as inspiration for the four single seats. Their lightweight design is weight-saving, and it gives occupants secure lateral support during dynamic driving. Between the front seats, the centre console – elegantly curved like a bridge with open space beneath it – extends up to the dashboard.

Display and control concept: intuitive, fast and free of distractions

A new world based on an innovative display and control concept opens up before the driver. It is intuitive, fast and free of distractions – created for the sports car of tomorrow. The filigree driver's display is curved, low-profile and free-standing. The instrument cluster shows five round instruments – they can be recognized as Porsche, but they are displayed virtually in OLED technology, i.e. by organic light-emitting diodes. The round instruments are organized according to the driver-relevant themes of Connected Car, Performance, Drive, Energy and Sport Chrono. The controls are just as innovative. An eye-tracking system detects, via camera, which instrument the driver is viewing. The driver can then activate the menu of the instrument in focus by pushing a button on the steering wheel and navigate in it – which also involves an interplay of eye-tracking and manual activation. But that is not all: the display follows the seat position and body attitude of the driver in what is known as a parallax effect. If the driver sits lower, higher or leans to one side, the 3D display of the round instruments reacts and moves with the driver. This eliminates situations in which the steering wheel blocks the driver's view of certain key information, for instance. All relevant information such as vehicle speed is always within the driver's line of sight.

The Mission E can even portray driving fun: a camera mounted in the rear-view mirror recognizes the driver's good mood and shows it as an emoticon in the round instrument. The fun factor can be saved together with individual information such as the route or speed, and it can be shared with friends via a social media link.

Holographic display with touch-free gesture control

The entire dashboard is chock full of new ideas. Its division into two three-dimensionally structuring layers reinforces the impression of lightness and clarity. The upper layer integrates the driver's display, and between the levels there is a holographic display that extends far into the passenger's side. It shows individually selectable apps, which are stacked in virtual space and arranged by priority with a three-dimensional effect. The driver – or passenger – can use these apps to touch-free control primary functions such as media, navigation, climate control, contacts and vehicle. The desired symbol is activated by gestures that are detected by sensors. A grasping gesture means select, while pulling means control. Moreover, driver or passenger can use a touch display on the centre console to control secondary functions such as detailed information menus.

The concept vehicle can also be configured externally from a tablet via Porsche Car Connect. Using "Over the Air and Remote Services" the driver can essentially change the functional content of the vehicle overnight. A simple update via the integrated high-speed data module is all it takes to implement the travel guide or additional functions for the chassis, engine or infotainment system. The driver can use a smartphone or tablet to start updates conveniently from the Porsche Connect Store. Furthermore, Porsche Connect enables direct contact to a Porsche Centre for remote diagnostics or to schedule appointments. Another function of integrated Remote Services is the digital key, which can be sent via the Porsche Connect Portal. It not only lets the owner open the doors, but also other persons authorized by the owner such as friends or family. After successful authentication, the key can be used within a specific time frame and defined location.

The virtual exterior mirrors are literally eye-catching. The lower corners of the windscreen show the images of the outside cameras that are mounted in the front wings. The benefits: the driver gets a better view of images and the surroundings, and safety information can also be actively displayed there