Spied: Porsche Mission E electric sedan

Porsche\'s Tesla rival has hit the road.

Porsche has commenced shakedown testing of its forthcoming Mission E electric sedan. The prototype seen here was spotted testing near Porsche's facility in Weissach, Germany.

Although very clearly a road-going version of the Mission E concept that debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show two years ago, Porsche engineers are still trying to hide the true identity of this car. At the rear you'll notice that Porsche went to the trouble of installing fake exhaust pipes on its electric sedan.

Those faux pipes aside, it looks as though the production Mission E will closely mimic the styling of its show car counterpart. The Mission E represents a new styling direction for Porsche, combining some elements of the 918 Spyder and Panamera into a futuristic-looking four-door.

Set to compete with the Tesla Model S, the Porsche Mission E will likely use a dual motor setup. Engineers are targeting a 0-60 time of less than 3.5 seconds and a top speed of at least 155mph for top-end models.

The battery pack in the Mission E should provide around 330 miles of range. Thanks to an 800V charging system — a first of its kind, according to Porsche — owners will be able to achieve an 80 percent charge in just 15 minutes.

The Porsche Mission E will likely enter production toward the end of 2019.