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March / April 2016 30 AUTO REVIEW A Funny Thing Happened At The ELECTRICAL OUTLET By Jim Rand P erhaps one day in the future, my ten year old grandson will be electronically thumbing through old editions of Der Sportwagen and stumble upon this article. Finishing his read, via a hologram displayed on the windshield of his autonomous vehicle that silently slips through traffic, he breaks out a hardy laugh. "That grandpa, he never was a believer in electric cars, or hydrogen, or methane either. Poor old pops, he had to deal with actually putting his hands on a steering wheel and refueling with gross gas- oline. How backward were they in 2016?" Then he readjusts his 25 way transportation chair and finishes sipping his South Ameri- can blended coffee as he zooms down I-70, hands free. I am sure at some point in time, our pres- ent day will be viewed through the same fog just as we try to imagine the horse and bug- gy days. How would, and how could they replace a form of transportation that had been around for hundreds of years. As concerns for our environment increase, automotive manufacturers are seeking cleaner modes of transportation that also de- liver great gains in mileage. The last days of fossil fueled transportation are ticking down. For now, the biggest change to what Porsche fans have driven for 60 plus years will be going from gasoline to electric fu- eled vehicles. Sure, for a while it will be fed to us in spoonfuls in the form of hybrids. However, already the concept Porsche Mis- sion E, a full electric vehicle, is making the car show rounds.***(A great physical de- scription of the Mission E is available in the January edition of Automobile magazine) Somewhere, hidden in the hinterland, Mis- sion E models are turning 24/7 test laps as they get closer to the day when you will be able to slap down your credit card and order the silent beast. Just imagine what it will be like when that distinctive, harmonious German bred sound, whether from a humble four or a ground shaking eight is replaced by a humm. And what about at a race, where presently only burning tire smoke blended with high oc- tane, methanol aided fuels describe a true fire breathing, automotive competition. For- mula E cars do not cut it with their wimpy golf cart whines slipping by pit walls like an electric scooter race in the halls of a se- nior home! Yes, there is a Formula E racing series, which mimics Formula 1 race cars in body style, but only powered electrically. Having glimpsed down the rabbit hole as to what our future may hold, your trusty reporter ventured out in to Kansas City's electric and hybrid world. In order to sim- plify the search, I investigated the Tesla S and our own Porsche Cayenne. Porsche Mission E