Porsche is known for its high-end luxury sports cars, but unlike many other automotive manufacturers, they haven’t taken any steps to join the electric car revolution — until now. Let’s take a closer look at Porsche’s first electric car and see what sets it apart.
Introducing the Porsche Taycan
Four years ago, Porsche released information about its Mission E concept car — the manufacturer’s first fully-electric luxury car. Now we can celebrate because it’s finally here for the 2020 model year, and honestly, we can’t wait to get behind the wheel. The exterior of the Taycan is stunning, with a low-slung body that sits on top of either 20 or 21-inch wheels, depending on the package you choose. The Turbo kit gets the 20-inch wheels, while the Turbo S gets fancy with carbon fiber trim and 21-inch wheels.
The standard Taycan also has a drag coefficient of 0.22 — the lowest of any Porsche vehicle that’s currently available. The Turbo S, with its extra trim, only goes up by a fraction with a drag coefficient of 0.25. The body is a mixture of steel and aluminum, joined together in a variety of ways, with a hot-formed steel passenger cage to improve strength, stability and safety.
Industry Firsts in Porsche’s Pocket
Unlike other currently available electric vehicles, the Taycan runs off of the industry’s first 800-volt battery. This makes the car lighter because it can use smaller cables than standard 400-volt systems use, and it can charge faster than any other electric car currently on the market. Using a Porsche-branded high-speed charger, you can get an 80% charge in 22 and a half minutes.
We don’t have any official numbers for distance per charge yet since the EPA hasn’t released their report yet on this new electric luxury car, but Porsche estimates that the Turbo will travel 279 miles between charges, and the Turbo S will make it 256 miles.
The Future of Electric Cars
It might be too early to tell if the Taycan represents the future of electric cars, but with a brand like Porsche behind it, this could quite possibly be one of the most reliable electric cars made to date. Modern cars, with proper maintenance, can easily travel upwards of 300,000 miles or more before they needs to be replaced. Battery care will be paramount with these new electric vehicles, but that will likely be something for Porsche to handle rather than something the average mechanic can manage.
Moving Forward
The new Porsche Taycan will be hitting showroom floors, but if you want to bring home one of these new electric luxury cars, you might want to start saving your pennies now. The base Turbo model of the Taycan will set you back $150,900, while the Turbo S will start at $241,500. It might seem expensive now, but it’s one of the first luxury electric cars that may be able to compete with Tesla, at least if you’re looking at electric cars in the same price class. We can’t wait to see what the Taycan is capable of when it releases.
About the Author: Scott Huntington is a writer from Harrisburg, PA who covers all things tech and automotive. Check out his site offthethrottle.com or find him on Twitter @SMHuntington.
