The Taycan is the newest Porsche on the lot, the first-ever EV in the German automaker’s history. Even though it has a different philosophy compared to the Tesla Model S and Model 3, the Taycan is universally acclaimed for handling like a dream despite the curb weight of 2,140 kilograms for the 4S model.
An area that also helps Porsche differentiate itself from Tesla is the interior, a high-tech cabin that oozes sporty luxury. On the other hand, the Taycan is way more expensive starting at $103,800 right off the bat, excluding destination charge.
Despite all of that lyrical waxing, the Taycan can spontaneously combust into flames while sitting in the garage. Not much is known about the event in the following video, but at the time of writing, this appears to be the first U.S. Taycan to catch fire.
No one was hurt in the incident, and given the lack of information, it’s too early to speculate what could’ve gone wrong. Because we’ve mentioned Tesla at the beginning of this story, it’s worth remembering that the Model S has also been in hot waters over a lot of rather fiery reports.
Statistically speaking, it’s rarer for an EV to catch fire than an internal combustion-engined car. Failure of the lithium-ion battery or thermal management system may be accompanied by the release of toxic gas and explosions, and once the battery catches fire, it’s particularly difficult to suppress the flames effectively.
One of the best solutions is the Class D fire extinguisher, developed specifically to be used on combustible metals. The Class D formula doesn’t react with the burning metal whereas water tends to make lithium-metal battery fires worse.
Switching to a different note, the Taycan is off to an encouraging start in the United States from a commercial standpoint. 130 examples of the breed were delivered in December 2019, representing a fifth of the volume posted by the 911.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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