The All-Electric Porsche Taycan: the complete guide

It Is Not Unusual For The Media To Report On Automobiles Driven By Celebrities, But It Is Certainly Far Less Common For A Public Displeasure By An Owner of An Automotive Company Towards A Customer That Has Preferred The Wheels Of The Competition!

Well, welcome to the world of Elon Musk, the co-founder of Tesla Inc. All day, today, social media channels have been busy with the story that Bill Gates, opted for the all-electric Porsche Taycan over a Telsa electric car. Elon Musk was quick to respond, slamming Bill Gates as ‘underwhelming’.

In our view, there is much more to this story than simply the loss of a potential customer to a competitor. The EV industry is fast coming of age. The electric vehicle competitor field is no more the domain of just a few EV manufactures. Within the past 12 months, the competitive landscape in the electric vehicle industry has changed significantly, with the entry of a number of traditional automotive companies and also new players. Incumbent players like Tesla Inc. are now being challenged in their backyard and this is only the start.

We expect significant increase in competition in the coming 36 months, and as a result of which, there will be casualties. Even market darlings like Tesla Inc. face a real threat despite their early stage lead in the global zero-emission electric driving sector. So, we should not be surprised by Elon’s adverse reaction. He can feel the heat of the competition closing in!

Porsche Taycan, the first all-electric car from the famed German luxury sports car manufacturer, Porsche. Stuttgart based Porsche, owned by the Volkswagen Group, has already made significant investments to achieve its electrification ambitions.

Porsche Taycan electric car — The All-Electric Porsche Taycan (credit: Porsche)

The Porsche Taycan battery-electric vehicle (BEV) was initially previewed as the Mission E concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2015. Taycan (Turkish) translates as ‘lively young horse’ in reference to the ‘leaping horse’ in the Porsche crest. Porsche confirmed the name in 2017.

Though the prototype Taycan did make an appearance at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed (2019), the electric Taycan made its public debut at the 2019 LA Motor Show.

The Taycan has taken inspiration from both the Porsche Panamera and the Porsche 911. The Taycan is built on an entirely new platform codenamed J1. Projected production of 40,000 units per year.

The pure electric Taycan is available in three variants: Taycan 4S, Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S. The 4S starts from £83,367 (including VAT), the Turbo starts from £115,858 (including VAT) and the Turbo S starts from £138,826 (including VAT).

The fastest acceleration is the Taycan Turbo S, accelerating from 0-62 mph in 2.8 seconds. Followed by the Taycan Turbo in 3.2 seconds and the Taycan 4S in 4 seconds. Both the Taycan Turbo and the Taycan Turbo S have a top speed of 161 miles per hour, while the Taycan 4S is marginally slower at 155 miles per hour.

The electric car can be rapid charged 5% to 80% in 22.5 minutes, using DC at 270 kW. At 50 kW 5% to 80% can be achieved in 93 minutes. For home charging at 7 kW, 0% to 100% will take up to 13 hours.

The Taycan 4S is available in two EV battery options: 79.2 kWh (Performance Battery) and 93.4 kWh (Performance Battery Plus). The other variants, the Taycan Turbo and the Taycan Turbo S are available in only one battery option, 93.4 kWh. The high-voltage EV battery is covered with a 8 year warranty (160,000 km), with a performance guarantee of 70%.

The reviews of the Porsche zero-emission battery-electric vehicle have been positive, with Top Gear awarding it a score of 8/10. Autocar awards the EV 4.5/5, while Whatcar awards the pure electric car 5/5. The green car has also been shortlisted for the prestigious UK Car of The Year 2020. An auspicious beginning for the EV!