How it looks under the skin of the Porsche Mission R

How it looks under the skin of the Porsche Mission R-looks

The chic shell was still missing completely, as Porsche development engineer and racer Lars Kern tested the future: the technique of mission R. It could be the basis of the first fully electric Porsche racing car for customer sports. At the beginning of September, the Mission R was one of the eye-catcher at the International Automobile Exhibition (IAA) in Munich: The fully electric racing car is initially only a vision and an idea of how the future design language of Porsche could look like. The industry munkelt that the Mission R in Puncto technology and design also serves as a template for a purely electric 718, as the sports car series is called below the 911.

The design – exterior like interior – fascinated, polarized, is discussed. So it should be, Porsche finds a current message. Studies are market research on the object, so the manufacturer. Often these are only beautiful styled sheaths to showcars without motor, without technology under the skin. But the mission R is already a powerful race car. “This is Porsche philosophy,” says Michael Behr. The technical project manager is responsible for orchestrating the trades involved in the Mission R and keep an eye on the realizability. The prototype is of course first a showcar, fulfillment “but also the highest technical requirements.”

Under the presented shell, the Porsche strategy was implemented regarding sustainability and social responsibility. While the company in Formula E is already purely electrically driving, useful in Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup synthetic fuels and develops a new hybrid rag for long-distance sports, the Mission R is now also reducing customer sports electrically.

How it looks under the skin of the Porsche Mission R-skinPorsche

Such futuristic studies show Porsche rarely. But if, then it is often a success story. Like the Boxster. His study was presented in 1993 in Detroit. Or the Carrera GT: Walter ROhrl headed him in 2000 in front of the Louvre in Paris. 2010 then the study of the 918 Spyder, this time it was in Geneva. At the IAA, the TaryCan precursor Mission E followed 2015. Even at Mission E was Behr on board. “These are jobs with massive termine pressure,” he admits, “but at the same time engineering spaces starting with a white sheet of paper.”

For the demands of Porsche, it is not enough to build only a rollable chassis, which then demonstrates a vision of the design department. The spirit of Weissach also requires study performance. At the formation process, each step in the computer aided design (CAD) is carried out with the same kindness as if it were about a pre-production vehicle.

The Mission R has four-wheel drive and 800 kW (1088 hp) power from two electric motors. Also made in Zuffenhausen like the input gearbox. With a target weight of less than 1500 kilograms – which laid in the area of target weight for a purely electrical 718 – the athlete should cope with the spurt from 0 to 100 km / h in less than 2.5 seconds. Depending on the choice of the translation is the top speed beyond the 300 km / h.

How it looks under the skin of the Porsche Mission R-skinPorsche

Thanks to the direct cooling of the stator – the fixed element of the E-machine, in which the rotor rotates – the aggregates provide a particularly high continuous performance. The futuristic race car comes out with a single oil cooling circuit and without a drop of water. Direct oil cooling of the high-voltage battery is based on an innovation developed for the three-time LE-Mans winner 919 Hybrid. The chassis is also racing technology for advanced and is characterized by a double-querliner front axle. Even on a heated windscreen for good views in the rain race was thought.

“We tried to lift the last lightweight potential in every detail,” explains Behr. Some examples: a 3D-printed gear lid is 30 percent lighter than a cast. Due to the additional braking performance when recuperating could be saved at the brake system twelve kilograms. The composite outer skin is not only feather-light, but also sustainable: it consists predominantly of natural fiber, supplemented by carbon fiber components.

The chassis construction of the secret prototype was in flattening, in the race department. Later, he moved within Weissach in the construction 100 μm – a high security wing under the studio of Style Porsche. Here were the external form and the interior. Between these stations the chassis had to get out of the fresh air – quasi naked, without protective body. To test on the skidpad of the in-house experimental route. This first function test, less than half a year before the premiere on the IAA, formed a central milestone. It did not matter that at this time many components were temporary. For the roll-out, an auxiliary frame made of steel, the final cage made of composite material had to occur. Also the seat, the steering wheel and the pedals were still parts of existing racing vehicles, the rims were still without the usual central closure.

How it looks under the skin of the Porsche Mission R-porschePorsche

“There is clearly warmer working days,” remembers the development engineer laughing at the cold spring day when he was allowed to shake the naked mission R for the first time, “but also much worse. To participate in such a project is absolutely emotional. I was looking forward to a small child!”Again and again he controlled the raw device out on the test track. Some tire sets later also fit the brake balance between front and rear axle. “Most surprised me how far advanced the car was already. And of course the immediate, huge torque and the entire driving dynamics. Since I knew: Here is something that will make great fun.”

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1 thought on “How it looks under the skin of the Porsche Mission R”

  1. Racing is not mine. But not only for the, for which it is a nice hobby, I find it a good development that somebody takes care of making electric cars quickly on the racetrack. But it is also a good development for us, if only on the racetracks of the world is only electrically driven. The air in our densely populated Europe will thank. The noise would then be gone.

    When starting to develop electric cars consistently on racing, the change to the electric car will quickly succeed. Because thanks to Torque Vectoring, easier four-wheel drive and the brutally low center of gravity, which can also be designed by location of the batteries, the better braking performance, because recuperation helps, is simply faster.

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