A high-ranking Porsche executive says the Zuffenhausen-based doesn’t consider US-based electric-carmaker Tesla a “direct rival”.

Michael Steiner, board member responsible for research and development at Porsche, told Automotive News Europe the German firm had no immediate intention of becoming a high-volume seller of electric vehicles.

“Although people like to play us off against each other, we do not consider Tesla to be a direct rival. With the Model 3, it's clear that they are more aggressively targeting the volume segment,” Steiner said.

After the reveal of the Taycan in September 2019, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took a swipe at Porsche for using the “Turbo” badge on the all-electric newcomer. The South African-born Tesla boss then suggested he would send the Model S to attempt to beat the Taycan’s Nürburgring-Nordschleife record for four-door electric sports cars.

Steiner pointed out the two companies employed different battery concepts, suggesting Tesla's units were "not ideal in terms of sustainability".

“Tesla employs round cells, a slightly different chemistry and another cooling concept, all of which have their specific advantages and disadvantages. In our opinion, the kind of high battery capacities you might find installed in a Model S are not ideal in terms of sustainability,” Steiner told the publication.

“We believe in smaller, lighter and therefore less expensive batteries that can be recharged more quickly. It's not our aspiration to be the leader in electric range.”

Original article from Car