Just last week, we saw former racing driver Mark Webber tame an advanced prototype of the Porsche Mission E at the automaker’s test track in Weissach, Germany. It got his seal of approval, with Webber describing the German automaker’s first fully electric car as a “game changer.” But then he would say that because he works as Porsche’s brand representative. That doesn’t mean we should devalue his opinion though, as his input into the Mission E’s development will be invaluable to Porsche.
This time, however, Porsche invited rock star Adam Levine, the lead singer of Maroon 5, to get behind the wheel of the electric sedan, who obviously doesn’t have any professional affiliation with Porsche unlike Webber. So why did Porsche use Levine to promote the Mission E? Because he's a hardcore Porsche fanatic who's owned a 1958 356A Speedster for ten years.
However, he isn’t a fan of EVs because they “don’t have a soul”. Can the Porsche Mission E change his mind? Since the video is obviously sponsored by Porsche, the answer is yes. Unlike Webber, who drove a Panamera-based test mule, Levine got to drive the Mission E concept car, and came away impressed with its performance and handling. Ultimately, the video doesn’t tell us anything new about the Mission E, but it’s still rare to see it on the move. Clearly, Porsche is worried that introducing a fully electric car could alienate hardcore fans of the brand, which explains why a long-time fan of the automaker like Levine was hired to reassure us.
At one point, he asks the instructor how much power the Mission E has. She jokes it has “more than you can handle,” but Webber already confirmed the production version will have more than 600 horsepower thanks to two electric motors. Porsche claims the Mission E concept can sprint from 0-62 mph in less than 3.5 seconds and offers over 310 miles of electric range. Production of Porsche’s Tesla Model S rival will start next year.
