The Porsche Taycan: A Future to Believe In

On July 1, 2003, a man named Elon Musk started a revolution; he started Tesla Motors. Tesla Motors was created with the objective of making the electric car a viable, affordable, and reliable method of transportation. Much like Nicola Tesla revolutionized electricity, Musk wanted Tesla Motors to revolutionize the car industry. But as with any startup, progress was slow to say the least. When they finally unveiled their first car, the Tesla Roadster, in 2011, it was pretty cool, but not very significant. Then, about a year or so later, the Tesla Model S emerged and the rest is history. The Model S made such an impact in fact, that car companies big and small began to take notice. Porsche was one of those companies.

The Porsche Taycan started life as a stunning concept revealed in 2015 called the Mission E (aka the Tesla killer). The Mission E was a HUGE leap forward in terms of technology. The concept was powered by an 800 Volt battery, promised over 600 hp, and a Tesla crushing 310 mile range. The world was shocked, and eager for more. Well fast forward to about 4 days ago and Porsche unveiled the Mission E production car to the world under the name, Taycan.

After months of spy shots and speculation, the Taycan is here, in the flesh, and ready to take down the Model S. At launch, Porsche revealed the range topping Taycan Turbo and Turbo S models (your guess is as good as mine as to why they named it Turbo); they look very promising to say the least.

The Pros

First off, I personally think the car’s beautiful. Sure it doesn’t have the Mission E Concept’s gorgeous lines and sleek, wide body, but it’s still a good looking car. The lines are clean, the accents are there; it’s the subtle beauty we’ve come to expect from a Porsche.

The interior is classy, clean, and comfortable as well except for the fact that there is a “leather free” interior option which is kind of ridiculous for a car that can be well over $200,000.

The performance however, is what makes the Taycan a real Porsche. The “base” Taycan Turbo utilizes a 93 kW/hr, 800 Volt battery setup that produces a P100D like 670 hp and 626 lb/ft of torque on overboost while the range topping Turbo S produces 750 hp and 774 lb/ft of torque. Keep in mind here that the fastest 911 makes 690 hp. 60 mph in the Turbo comes in just 3 seconds and a hypercar like 2.6 seconds in the Turbo S as expected. Don’t let the batteries fool you, the Taycan is a true Porsche in terms of handling as well. The Turbo S also holds the Nurburgring lap record for the fastest 4 door electric car at 7 minutes 42 seconds; Tesla has made no such attempt.

The Cons

The range on the Taycan however, is a lot less promising. The EPA hasn’t released an official statement about the Turbo and Turbo S’ range, but recent testing in New York has shown that the two cars will likely have a range less than the 345 miles you get in a Tesla Model S.

Pricing is also not a strong point with the “base” Taycan Turbo already costing over $50,000 dollars more than the Tesla Model S P100D. The Turbo S is even more expensive than the $150,900 Turbo coming in at a whopping $185,000 before options.

The Verdict

In creating the Taycan, Porsche set its sights on the Model S. I think it’s safe to say that Porsche have in fact achieved their goals. Porsche also introduced the concept of high end luxury to the electric car market, hence the high prices of the Turbo and Turbo S. Now the Taycan may not be the most affordable or longest range electric car yet (a base model and possibly a long range model are soon to arrive), but it’s the enthusiast’s electric car. An electric car that’s fun to drive and blisteringly fast as any Porsche should be. And for that, say well done.

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