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Porsche’s Electric Roadster Opens New EV Sports Car Market

It’s every gearhead’s ambition to own a luxury sports car. You know the type: you have your Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and this writer’s personal favorite, Porsche. The 911 is a classic roadster coupe that anyone would be lucky to drive. With the market making a concerted shift toward electric vehicles (EVs), it’s unclear what fate holds for any luxury sports car manufacturer, but Porsche might be ahead of the game. 

Porsche has already launched two very successful EV models, prompting it to explore the idea of creating a sports car that can whip down roads at 180 miles per hour and produces few-to-no carbon emissions. Following up on the success of the Taycan and Macan EV models, the timing seems perfect for the brand to develop its patented 911-style roadster with an electric engine. It is part of the automaker’s Mission E, a comprehensive plan that will see Porsche build EVs that only require 15 minutes of charging time and can cruise for 250 miles, with a maximum range of 300 miles at full battery. However, it’s unclear whether it can market this potential electric coupe to the average luxury car owner similarly to internal combustion models.

Photo Courtesy Porsche

Looking at the Mission E homepage is enough to get a sports car fan excited! The aesthetics of the EV are incredible. When you factor in the holographic dashboard, odometer, interactive audio, climate controls, and other out-of-this-world features of this remarkable automotive engineering — it’ll take your breath away. 

There’s skepticism around features like the roar of the engine, the top reachable speed, horsepower, handling, and of course, the price of the vehicle. Compared to Ferrari and Lamborghini, who struggle to navigate the EV market, Porsche has already hit home with some e-SUVs and e-crossovers. All eyes will be on the automaker to see how an e-Roadster will appeal to buyers and what the resale market will be. Porsche vehicles, like Ferrari and Lamborghini, increase in value over time. 

Porsche has the best chance to dominate the luxury EV market with this new roadster. The German automaker predicts an 80% increase in battery-EV sales by 2030.

In the shorter term, 50% of its sales will be mixed-battery EVs. The German company also plans to build its line of charging stations and chargers. When you consider Porsche’s plan to use solid-state batteries from QuantumScape, an EV battery-manufacturing start-up partnered with Volkswagen, the carmaker is expected to produce some of the longest-range EVs. The brand will have one more generation of internal combustion 911 models, but the Mission E Roadster could soon be the more popular option if the demand for EVs continues to skyrocket. 

Some expect Porsche to make an all-electric 911 model by the decade’s end, despite pushback from top executives about that concept. As for now, we will likely see a hybrid 911 before an electric-engine option is available. That  makes Mission E that much more interesting: it will look like a 911, more than likely cost as much as a 911, but will be a futuristic roadster that’s clean and produces zero emissions. It may take time to convince traditional gearheads to buy into the EV hype, but Porsche’s Mission E roadster will be the perfect key to opening the growing EV sports car market. 

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