Porsche Taycan. The first electric Porsche
The Porsche Taycan is an electric vehicle manufactured by Porsche, Germany. It has been produced in the sedan body since 2019, whereas the estate version has been available since 2021. Both models can be bought in Israel.
Porsche, known as a traditional petrol car manufacturer, has entered a new era of electricity. The Porsche Taycan is the first ‘battery’ model of the company. And this model has become very successful! However, it took the manufacturer a long time to ‘give birth’ to the electric car. Thus, the decision was made in the early 2010s, the Porsche Mission E concept appeared in 2015, and the production Taycan was released only in 2019. Mitja Borkert, who now holds the post of Chief Designer at Lamborghini, worked on the exterior design of the first Porsche electric car.
Porsche proudly announced a new record with the Taycan electric sedan at the Nurburgring. It took the car 55 minutes to skid 42.171 kilometers, which is a record for an electric vehicle. According to test pilot Dennis Retera, his main task was to conserve battery power: the rear wheels were constantly spinning at high speeds, so he could not count on recuperation. In this nomination, the Porsche Taycan became the record holder among electric vehicles, but it is far from the result of the BMW M5 petrol sedan: back in 2018, it skidded 374 km with five refuelings right during an eight-hour race.
The first generation
The new Porsche Taycan is built on the new PPE (Premium Platform Electric) platform, which was specially developed for electric vehicles in collaboration with Audi (the Audi e-tron GT sedan is also going to be built on it). The platform allows the battery to be integrated into the floor structure, has a dense arrangement of auxiliary units, which frees up space under the hood and lowers the center of gravity.
The first Taycan is a 4-door sedan with frameless doors and two trunks: the rear one holds 366 liters, the front one is designed for 81 liters. The car is 4,963 mm long, 1,966 mm wide and 1,381 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,900 mm. For comparison, the Tesla Model S is 4,975 mm long and 1,965 mm wide. That is, they are almost the same. The body structure is steel, but most of the outer panels are aluminum.
Porsche claims that the battery can handle ten accelerations to 100 km/h or four accelerations to 200 km/h without sacrificing efficiency.
Interestingly, the Taycan is the first production electric car with an operating voltage of 800 volts (others have 400-480). This means not only a smaller cross-section and mass of power wiring, but also half the charging time of a lithium-ion battery, developed in conjunction with LG Chem (Korea). When using a 270 kW 800 volt station, a liquid-cooled battery can recharge 80% in just 23 minutes. Porsche claims the battery can handle ten accelerations to 100 km/h or four accelerations to 200 km/h without sacrificing efficiency. For a surcharge, a powerful 22 kW charger is offered instead of the standard 11 kW one: with its help, the charging time from AC was halved.
Interior and equipment
The interior retains the traditional ‘Porsche’ features, implemented in a new ‘electric’ style. There are almost no analog switches. What is there? There is a 16.8-inch curved display of devices with four display modes, along the edges there are touch-sensitive buttons for switching on outdoor lighting and changing driving modes. The main ‘engine start’ button is located in the Porsche traditional location, to the left of the steering wheel. The steering wheel can be of two types: standard and ‘sport’, with a rotary switch for selecting driving electronics modes.
The central display of the media system is 10.9-inch; for a surcharge, the same screen can be installed in front of the passenger. There is voice control, which is activated by the phrase ‘Hey Porsche’. The center console houses another 8.4-inch touchscreen display equipped with a feedback system that vibrates after pressing. It manages the climate control, and at the bottom there is a separate field for handwriting entry of the address into the navigation system. Another option is a 5.9-inch screen for rear passengers. Well, it seems we have listed all the screens.
When using a 270 kW 800 volt station, a liquid-cooled battery can recharge 80% in just 23 minutes.
Interestingly, the buyers of Porsche Taycan can subscribe to options, the list of which can be adjusted after the purchase of the electric car. That is, if, for example, you are not ready to equip it with all sorts of incomprehensible functions when ordering, or you are not ready to pay for their use for the entire period of operation, then you will be offered a monthly subscription that can be renewed. For example, if necessary (and for an additional fee, of course), you can activate the lane keeping assist system.
Powertrains and modifications
The sedan can have both rear and four-wheel drive and two engines. Synchronous electric motors are transverse, each driving its own axle wheels. A two-stage speed reducer is installed at the rear, which is a feature of Porsche, while almost all current electric vehicles are content with single-stage gears (such as the Taycan on the front axle). The second (overdrive) gear is made to increase top speed, and there is an electronically controlled differential lock at the rear.
Porsche does not allow one-pedal driving out of principle. So, there is a brake, and you will have to use it in the same way as on cars with an internal combustion engine. The high-end versions feature air suspension with active anti-roll bars, an all-wheel steering and carbon-ceramic brakes. The adaptive air suspension with active anti-roll bars has a Smartlift function that raises the nose of the car to drive over bumps. But that’s not all! The system remembers the places where the driver resorted to its services so that he/she did not have to manually activate it again, and then it works automatically, for example, in front of a “speed bump” or at the exit from the garage.
Modifications of the 2021 Porsche Taycan sedan:
- The basic Porsche Taycan is rear-wheel drive. It comes with a 79.2 kWh battery and a 408 hp electric motor. The drive range is 354 km, while the charging time at a gas station is 120 minutes. Acceleration to 100 km occurs in 5.4 seconds, while the top speed is 230 km/h.
- The Porsche Taycan with increased battery capacity is equipped with a 476 hp electric motor and a 93.4 kW/h battery, offering a drive range increased to 407 km. There are no differences with the previous version in terms of dynamics.
- The Porsche Taycan 4S is four-wheel drive. It comes with two electric motors (one on each axle). It has two versions: the first is equipped with a 79.2 kWh battery and has a total output of 530 hp, offering the drive range of 335 km and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h of 4 seconds, with the maximum speed of 250 km/h; the second version with a total capacity of 571 hp is equipped with a 93.4 kW/h battery, offering the drive range of 389 km. In terms of dynamics, this version is the same as the first one.
- The Porsche Taycan Turbo is four-wheel drive, and the combined power of two electric motors is 680 hp. Each engine has its own two-stage speed reducer, a differential with an electronically controlled lock at the rear. The battery has a capacity of 93.4 kW/h and is liquid-cooled. The drive range is 383 km. Acceleration to the first 100 km occurs in 3.2 seconds, while the top speed is 260 km/h.
- The Porsche Taycan Turbo S is the most powerful version. It is four-wheel drive and has the same electric motors, but different settings and a more powerful inverter, so the peak output is 761 hp. and 1050 Nm. The battery is the same 93.4 kW/h, but the drive range reaches 421 km. Acceleration to 100 km takes 2.8 seconds, although the maximum speed is the same as that of the ‘simple’ Turbo, 260 km/h. Basic equipment includes a fully steerable chassis and carbon-ceramic brakes.
As already mentioned, the battery can handle 10 extreme accelerations to 100 km/h or four accelerations up to 200 km/h without sacrificing efficiency. The Taycan electrical system operates at 800 volts (Tesla has about 400 volts). The Porsche can be charged from a terminal with a capacity of up to 250 kW.
