The rise of Tesla’s innovative electric sports cars should have sparked some healthy competition in the arena of electric vehicles, but oddly enough it didn’t.
Since the release of the award winning Model S, the Automotive Industry had a peek into the potential future of the automotive industry; and as we all know, clear vision only in hindsight can be a vision too late. Competitors stepping into the electric vehicle arena seemed to be entering only as sloppy candidates.
As Musk commented, most of his competition is making car with “no soul”.
Well, Porsche is putting soul into the Taycan, their new electric sports car. It’s a landmark moment for both Porsche and electric cars alike. With so much praise, the Taycan surely has its place amongst the best Porsche models ever produced.
The much awaited electric sports car is set to be released in 2020, and bears a vague resemblance to a Tesla Model S, but it does have the signature grooves and curves that are a signature of Porsche vehicles as well. It’s far from a Tesla rip off and Porsche has truly put their heart and soul into this vehicle, with decades of high performance sports car manufacturing experience channeled into this new addition of the world of electric sports cars.
Performance
With the mass scale success of Tesla vehicles, it’s only natural that we use Tesla as the current benchmark of comparison for any electric vehicle on the market. The Taycan Turbo produces the same amount of horsepower as the Tesla Turbo S, which is 40kW. But the overall power output varies between the two with launch control active, as each car’s power is increased by an over boost function.
In 2.5 seconds using the over boost function, the Taycan Turbo reaches 500kW and the Tesla Turbo S reaches a whopping 560kW.
Crafting the Taycan
Porsche has built such a strong reputation of quality over decades of sports car building, the Taycan was a new engineering challenge for the Porsche team.
For the electric Taycan to be a success it needed to embody Porsche’s standard of quality and also stand up against the giant that is Tesla.
They have achieved just that—the Taycan feels and drives like a Porsche. It’s lustrous, curvaceous and low. While visually resembling the Panamera, it certainly stands out on the road as a well-designed and crafted vehicle.
The Taycan weight is approaching that of an elephant, at a hefty 2300kg, with a half-ton battery pack on the floor of the vehicle.
On the Road
Of course, since it’s electric, you may miss the wailing sound of the engine, but you’ll quickly learn to love the electrically generated hum of the Taycan.
Release the brake, take off at full speed and feel your head pulled back with great force into your headrest. Taking off in the Taycan is an experience astronauts could relate to.
According to Porsche, the Turbo S model can get from 0-60mph in just 2.6 seconds.
Interior Technology
The cluster of toggles and buttons which occupied the Panamera’s interior have been replaced with up to 5 displays.
Behind the steering wheel sits a curved 16.8 inch glass display, showing Porsche’s default five dial setup—bearing the Porsche signature but with a modern take.
The display above the center console is the main entertainment display, acting as the Taycan’s smartphone.
The car also has optional touchscreens which sit behind the front seats for backseat passengers. This allows for the passengers to access climate controls.
Charging the Taycan
Charging the Taycan is easy and convenient, and can be done from the comfort of the vehicle owner’s home, with up to 11 kW of AC. For faster charging capabilities, the ‘Performance Battery Plus’ can be charged with higher currents. In only 5 minutes, the vehicle can be charged with enough power to drive 100km, with the charging time from 5% to 80% SoC (state of charge) being around 23 minutes ( in 800 volt power stations).
The Taycan is equipped with 2 charging ports, one on each front side section of the body, allowing for AC charging on both sides and DC charging on the right side.
The majority of Taycan drivers will be charging their vehicles overnight from their own homes, but while on the road during longer trips, customers are able to take advantage of the Porsche charging network, which allows them to easily locate an impressively extensive 70,000 charging points in 12 countries.
Daniel Calvin is the blog writer for Capristo Automotive, sharing high torque content in the sports car world.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
*** Photo courtesy of Caricos
Electric Sports Car market was valued at US$1.591 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16.15% over the forecast period to reach a total market size of US$3.907 billion in 2025.