Why the comparison?
Both of these cars have that exalted German pedigree, both of them have the quintessential élan imbued in them, but most importantly both of these sublime automobiles are exclusively powered by electricity. While the similarity ends here, both use different battery technologies, which is innately related to their performance specifications and the very “green” way they can deliver.
Porsche Boxster-E Electric Car:
The Green Side:
All of the attributes revealed by this special vehicle are based upon the field test results of the three prototype Boxsters. The car features a sturdy 29-kWh battery pack that can power this petite vehicle up to 60 mph in less than 5.3 seconds. It has a midrange 240 hp engine, and can blissfully achieve a top speed of 170mph. Added to that we should remember that it is an fully “electric” car in its conception, and hence expected to cause significantly lower pollution.
The Dark Side:
The Porsche Boxster E only has a range of 100 miles per charge. Well in contrast with other competitors in the similar class, especially the electric driven Tesla Roadster, which has a range of 240 miles, this specification truly fades in comparison. Moreover, the cars unveiled up till now have just been prototypes, and hence we cannot afford to get a more transparent idea about the vehicle’s performance.
BMW ActiveE Electric Car:
The Green Side:
Another German car goes “green” by totally letting off its petrol fueled components. This fully electric vehicle has a 168 hp engine with a well-balanced power-train for 50:50 weight distribution. It uses the ubiquitous lithium-ion battery pack and can achieve a speed of up to 90mph. Additionally, it also features an efficient liquid cooling system to keep the electric distribution setup at an optimum temperature.
The Dark Side:
The charging time for this machine is about 5 hrs. The car also exhibits a more cumbersome weight of 3900 lbs. (in comparison to Nissan Leaf’s 2800 lbs). Moreover, it can rise up to 60mph in an extended 8.5 seconds, which is 3 seconds more than Porsche Boxster E.
The Final Verdict:
Though both of these cars are electric, the integrated batteries within them are composed of toxic metals, in essence generating some amount of toxic fumes. Till date, we do not have ample information about these cars’ battery systems, but we can be certain about the Porsche’s enhanced pick up as well as speed when compared to the BMW, even though they have the same range. This gives the Porsche Boxster E a slight edge ahead of the BMW ActiveE.
