In the world of electric cars, Elon Musk’s Tesla is king. But for how long?
According to a report from British motoring superpower Top Gear, Porsche is hard at work on its Mission E concept car, which would be able to travel over 300 miles on a charge and recharge its battery in 15 minutes flat. But it’s also excited about collaborating with other car manufacturers on a fast-charging technology that could universalize the infrastructure for electric vehicles.
Porsche is part of the Volkswagen group umbrella that also includes Audi, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and others. But it has been in communication with representatives of Mercedes and Tesla to try to establish an industry-wide standard for charging. (Faster charging means longer range in less time, and therefore an increased likelihood that electric cars could become a practical choice for more drivers.)
The collaborative spirit could be the right approach here, or it could end up like Volkswagen’s last attempt at a cross-company strategy. The brand was initially in agreement to use Mercedes’ Bluetec diesel technology starting with its 2008 line of diesel cars, but it pulled out in the summer of 2007, opting to market those cars as TDIs instead. And, of course, we all know how Volkswagen’s in-house diesel technology turned out.
As long as the collective doesn’t invite Samsung to join with its battery tech, we should be in good shape.