Porsche is best known for its luxury, asphalt-burning sports cars, but that could change by next year. The automaker’s all-electric Taycan, expected in show rooms by 2020, will look a lot like its famous gas-powered counterparts, while providing performance that in some ways could surpass Tesla, according to preliminary specs the company revealed Monday.
The Taycan is set to launch later in 2019, and it will be capable of getting 60 miles of charge in only four minutes. That might not be the zero-to-60 time that rally car fanatics are looking for, but that recharge rate is sure to turn EV enthusiasts’ heads, seeing as it’s quicker than Tesla’s.
Its 800-volt battery will soak up fast-charging rates of up to up to 350 kilowatts to give drivers a 60 mile range in under five minutes. That’s notably faster than what’s possible with Tesla’s 120-kilowatt Superchargers that juice up vehicles to about 80 percent charge in half an hour. Charge time may not be as exciting a spec as acceleration or range, but fortunately the Taycan won’t disappoint on those counts, either.
What to expect from the Taycan upon release.
The upcoming EV will be capable of going from zero-to-60 miles per hour in under 3.5 seconds, according to Porsche. That’s not quite as impressive as the 911 Turbo’s 2.9 second acceleration time, but the company isn’t looking to win over customers with the Taycan’s speed. Instead, it’s opted to tout its recharge speed to alleviate the lingering range anxiety of many potential EV adopters.
No one wants to be left stranded in the middle of the highway with an empty battery. But with widespread charging stations taking root across the country and fast-charging vehicles, that fear could be a thing of the past. Porsche’s decision to emphasize charging times certainly makes sense now, but could prove to be short-lived as electrification becomes more commonplace.
Porsche hasn’t announced the price of the Taycan, but the luxury brand will probably target a section of the Model S’s market. With the likes of Audi, Jaguar, Mercedes, and Volkswagen gearing up to release their own Tesla competitors, the EV market could be jam packed with fast and effective clean energy vehicles very soon.
