As Porsche prepares to unveil its first-ever EV, the development team is putting the finishing touches on the Taycan. The electric sedan inspired by the Mission E Concept can also drift, as demonstrated by Roadshow on the frozen lakes of Sweden.
Separate motors for the front and rear provide all-wheel drive, and given the performance of the Tesla Model 3 in the twisties, the Taycan promises to be even sportier. The Turbo – which is how Porsche calls the range-topping variant – develops in the ballpark of 600 horsepower.
The resemble with the Panamera is obvious, but the Taycan is a four-door sedan instead of a five-door liftback. The biggest change compared to the Mission E are the rear doors, now opening in a conventional manner instead of being hinged at the rear. Suicide doors on a Porsche – be it internal combustion-engined or electric – seem out of place, don’t you agree?
Porsche took the Taycan to Sweden for cold-weather testing because the range is affected by sub-zero temperature conditions. The engineers didn’t confirm the range to Roadshow, but the floor-mounted battery promises “more than 500 kilometers” under the New European Driving Cycle. As far as the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure is concerned, vehicles with thermal propulsion saw an increase in CO2 emissions of approximately 20 percent on average.
Given the dimensions of the Taycan, there’s no denying Porsche will match the Model 3 Long Range in terms of kilowatt-hours. The biggest battery available for Tesla’s most affordable nameplate is estimated at 75 kWh while the full-size Model S and Model X can be specified with 100 kWh.
There’s talk Porsche is developing a rear-wheel-drive Taycan to bring the pricing down, allowing more people to buy into the electric makeover. The Macan is also going electric thanks to the Premium Platform Electric, and there’s talk the higher-ups are considering the Cayenne as well.
September 2019 is when the Taycan is expected to premiere, and the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show appears to be the venue where Porsche will present the electric sedan in the flesh.
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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