Courtesy Porsche | Porsche Taycan’s
After four years in development, Porsche finally revealed its first fully-electric sports car to the public on September 4, 2019. The Porsche Taycan’s spectacular world premiere took place simultaneously on three continents at the same time in North America (Canada), Asia (China), and Europe (Germany). The most important sales markets of the new electric sports car are on these three continents. The event locations are also a synonym for three ways of sustainable energy management: Niagara Falls at the border between New York State and the Canadian province of Ontario representing hydro-power, a solar farm in Neuhardenberg near Berlin representing solar power and a wind farm on Pingtan Island, around 93 miles from the Chinese city of Fuzhou in the province of Fujian representing wind power. This one-time triple event was broadcast worldwide via live stream on NewsTV.porsche.com.
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“The Taycan links our heritage to the future. It carries forward the success story of our brand – a brand that has fascinated and thrilled people the world over for more than 70 years,” said Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG, who opened the world premiere in Berlin: “This day marks the start of a new era.”
The highly anticipated four-door sports sedan is a unique package, offering typical Porsche performance and connectivity with everyday usability. At the same time, highly advanced production methods and the features of the Taycan are setting new standards in the fields of sustainability and digitalization. “We promised a true Porsche for the age of electromobility – a fascinating sports car that not only excites in terms of its technology and driving dynamics but also sparks a passion in people all over the world, just like its legendary predecessors have done. Now we are delivering on this promise,” emphasizes Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board of Porsche AG – Research and Development.
The first models in the new series are the Taycan Turbo S and Taycan Turbo. They are at the cutting edge of Porsche E-Performance and are among the most powerful production models that the sports car manufacturer currently has in its product range. Less powerful variants of these all-wheel-drive electric vehicles are scheduled to follow. The first derivative to be added will be the Taycan Cross Turismo at the end of next year.
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Performance meets efficiency
The flagship Turbo S version of the Taycan can travel 256 miles on a single charge, and the Taycan Turbo has a range of 280 miles. The Taycan Turbo S accelerates from zero to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds, while the Taycan Turbo completes this sprint in 3.2 seconds. The top speed of both all-wheel-drive models is 260 mph.
The Taycan is the first production vehicle with a system voltage of 800 volts instead of the usual 400 volts for electric cars. This system is a particular advantage for Taycan drivers on the road: in just over five minutes, the battery can be recharged using direct current from the high-power charging network for a range of up to 62 miles.
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Unique exterior and interior design with Porsche DNA
The Taycan boasts a clean, puristic design, yet it retains the unmistakable Porsche DNA. From the front, it looks unusually wide and flat with highly contoured wings. The silhouette is shaped by the sporty roofline sloping down to the rear. The highly sculpted side sections are also characteristic. The sleek cabin, the drawn-in rear C-pillar and the pronounced shoulders of the wings result in a sharply emphasized rear, typical of the brand.
Taycan’s cockpit undoubtedly signals Porsche’s start of a new era with its clear structure and utterly new architecture. The freestanding, curved instrument cluster forms the highest point on the dashboard. This design places a clear focus on the driver axis. A central, 10.9-inch infotainment display screen and an optional passenger display are combined to form an integrated glass band in a black-panel look. All user interfaces have been completely newly designed for the Taycan. The number of classic hardware controls such as switches and buttons has been dramatically reduced. Instead, control is intelligent and intuitive – using touch operation or the voice control function, which response to the command “Hey Porsche.”
With the Taycan, Porsche offers an entirely leather-free interior for the first time. Interiors made from innovative recycled materials underscore the sustainable concept of the electric sports car. “Foot garages” – recesses in the battery in the rear footwell – ensure sitting comfort in the rear and allow the low vehicle height typical of sports cars.
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Innovative drive motors and a two-speed transmission
The Taycan Turbo S and Taycan Turbo have two exceptionally efficient electric ma-chines, one on the front axle and one on the rear axle, thus making the cars all-wheel drive. Both the range and the continuous power of the drive benefit from the high efficiency of the permanently excited synchronous machines. This technology makes it possible to incorporate more copper in the stator, increasing power output and torque while maintaining the same component volume. The two-speed transmission installed on the rear axle is an innovation developed by Porsche. First gear gives the Taycan even more acceleration from a standing start, while second gear with a long gear ratio ensures high efficiency and equally high power reserves.
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Price starts at $153,310 for the Turbo and $187,610 for the Turbo S with sales slated for December 2019.
