Porsche extends the Taycan model range with an all-electric luxury variant
The Taycan is the pure expression of a Porsche electric sports car with striking proportions, timeless and instantly recognisable design. Share
Porsche launched a new era with its Taycan all-electric sports car which will line up alongside the Taycan Turbo S, Taycan Turbo and Taycan 4S. The four-door sports saloon is a unique package, offering typical Porsche performance, connectivity and everyday usability. At the same time, extremely advanced production methods and the product features of the Taycan set new standards in the areas of sustainability and digitalisation.
The new entry-level model features rear-wheel drive, is available with two battery sizes and delivers up to 300 kW (408 PS) with the Performance Battery or up to 350 kW with the Performance Battery Plus. Its nominal power is 240 kW or 280 kW respectively.
Porsche has made a successful start to the all-electric age, delivering just under 20,000 Taycan cars to customers worldwide in 2020. In Norway, the Taycan currently accounts for 70 per cent of all Porsche models sold, and the start of November saw the one-thousandth Norwegian Taycan customer receive their car as Porsche sales in Norway have more than doubled. The electric sports car has already received almost 50 international awards, above all in its principal markets of Germany, the USA, the UK and China. The new rear-wheel drive Taycan also holds the Guinness World Record™ for the longest drift with an electric car having been driven sideways non-stop for exactly 42.171 kilometres.
A host of new features have already been introduced for the Porsche Taycan at the model year changeover. These included the new Plug & Charge function3, which enables convenient charging and payments without the need for cards or an app. With this, as soon as the charging cable is plugged in, the Taycan establishes encrypted communication with the Plug & Charge-compatible charging station. The charging and payment processes then start automatically. A prerequisite for this is a corresponding charging contract, for example with the Porsche Charging Service.
Additional innovations include vehicle functions that can be booked flexibly (Functions on Demand, FoD) and installed on the vehicle “over-the-air”, a colour head-up display and an onboard charger with a charging capacity of up to 22 kW. The adaptive air suspension will also feature a Smartlift function as standard in future. Breathtaking acceleration, tractive power typical of a sports car and outstanding, continuously available power—all Taycan models feature these character strengths.
The permanently excited synchronous motor on the rear axle of the new Taycan has an active length of 130 millimetres and therefore has the same length as the corresponding drive component on the Taycan 4S. The motor on the Turbo and Turbo S has a length of 201 mm. As one of the technical highlights of the drive architecture, the two-speed transmission on the rear axle is common to all models.
As on the Taycan 4S, two permanently excited synchronous motors are installed on the front and rear axles as standard, meaning that these models are all-wheel drive. The pulse-controlled inverter used on the front axle in the Taycan 4S and Taycan Turbo operates with 300 amps (Taycan Turbo S: 600 amps), while the inverter on the rear axle always does with up to 600 amps.
With its purist design, the Taycan signals the beginning of a new era. At the same time, it retains the unmistakable Porsche design DNA. From the front, the electric sports car looks particularly wide and flat, with highly contoured wings. The silhouette is shaped by the sporty roof line sloping down to the rear. The highly sculpted side sections are also characteristic. The sleek cabin, the strikingly drawn-in C-pillar, and the pronounced shoulders of the wings result in a sharply emphasised rear end, typical of the brand. These features are complemented by innovative elements such as the glass-look lettering for the Porsche logo. This is integrated into the light bar at the rear.
The cockpit also signalled the beginning of a new era in 2019 with its clear structure and completely new architecture. The free-standing, curved instrument cluster forms the highest point on the dashboard. This places a clear focus on the driver axis. A central, 10.9-inch infotainment display and an optional passenger display are combined to form an integrated glass band in a black-panel look. A colour head-up display is now available as an option.
The car features two luggage compartments: 84 litres at the front, and up to 407 litres at the rear. The Taycan also sees Porsche offering an entirely leather-free interior for the first time. Interiors made from innovative recycled materials underscore the sustainable concept of the electric sports car.
Porsche uses a centrally networked control system for the Taycan chassis. The integrated Porsche 4D Chassis Control analyses and synchronises all chassis systems in real-time. The Taycan 4S, Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S feature adaptive air suspension with three-chamber technology including PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) electronic damper control as standard. For the new Taycan, air suspension is available as an option in lieu of the standard steel-spring suspension.
The first of the new Taycan models with rear-wheel drive will make their way to Porsche Centres in the UK from the Spring. Customers will also be invited to explore the potential of their new car, and further develop their own skills behind the wheel, by participating in a bespoke driving experience around the unique tracks at the Porsche Experience Centre, Silverstone.
