Last month, we learned that Porsche is working steadily and rather quickly on its upcoming Tesla Model S fighter. We can confirm for a fact that it won't be just an electrified next-gen Panamera. That'd be way too easy. We're talking about Germans and cars here, after all. According to a new report from Car Magazine, Porsche has tentatively badged the car the 717 and, like the new Panamera, will ride on the same platform as the next-gen Bentley Continental.

That's about where the similarities end between all three. Porsche is essentially developing a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) as opposed to a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) system which is offered on two models: the Cayenne and Panamera. The sold-out 918 Spyder supercar has an even more advanced version of this tech. But now it's time for Porsche to move on to the next developmental step. Instead of the Tesla's long and wide monolithic battery pack which acts as both floorpan and structural reinforcement, Porsche is cooking up its own unique design that'll feature a "topologic battery installation."

What that means is that the 717's battery arrangement won't look like a single rectangular-shaped object and instead will have "a mountain range (arrangement) with the central tunnel acting as a peak ridge, with a pair of tall bulkhead walls and smaller agglomerations in the sills, the footwell and the overhangs." There'll be a total of 108 battery pouches. What's more, the 717 will come with standard all-wheel drive, four-wheel torque vectoring and four-wheel steering. Total range: in excess of 300 miles. An early 2019 launch date is planned.