From Popular Mechanics
Update, January 28, 2019: Porsche is still targeting later this year for the release of the all-electric Taycan, and today issued some good news for its would-be buyers: The first three years of charging are on Porsche.
Volkswagen subsidiary Electrify America is at work building a network of fast charging stations around America. This morning, Porsche issued a press release that Taycan buyers would get three years of free charging at those Electrify America stations included in the admittedly steep price of buying the car.
Porsche isn’t just worried about the spread of chargers; it wants its chargers to be the fastest, too. Ever since the Taycan project was announced, the company has been touting its forthcoming 800-volt charging technology. In today’s release, it added:
Electrify America highway and metro stations, and many Porsche dealers, will offer DC fast charging at rates up to 350 kilowatts. Using 800 volt technology and the combined charging system (CCS) plug, the Taycan will be able to add more than 60 miles of range in four minutes — the fastest in today’s automotive market.
Update, December 18, 2018: It’s pronounced “TIE-con.”
Ever since Porsche announced that the Mission E electric car project would be officially named the Porsche Taycan, people have mocked the moniker as if it were straight out of the “particular set of skills” Liam Neeson movie franchise. Hoping to clear up the confusion, Porsche just released a new teaser to make sure you know the proper pronunciation of the EV’s name.
As Road & Track notes, this is not the company’s first foray into making a pronunciation guide.
Update, October 18, 2018: Porsche has hinted at the price of its upcoming all-electric sedan, though it has not provided much information outright. Porsche’s Robert Meier told Automotive News that the Taycan would be priced between the Cayenne SUV and the Panamera sedan-in Europe, at least. Jalopnik says: “That means it’d start out between 74,800 euros and 90,600 euros including taxes, or roughly between $86,000 to $104,000.”
Many in the auto world speculated that the Taycan would come in as the most expensive car in Porsche’s range. However, the company clearly wants its Tesla Model S challenger to be just cheap enough to compete with the flagship car by Elon Musk’s company.
August 2018: Porsche just released some new specs about the upcoming Taycan electric car. As expected the electric sedan will make more than 600 horsepower in total system power and come with 800-volt charging capability, which will give the car enough juice to go 400 km (248 mi) in just 15 minutes of charging. Overall, Porsche proclaims an electric range of 500 km (about 310 mi) and a 0–100 kph time of three and a half seconds.
Porsche says it has built “three figures” worth of Taycan prototypes altogether.
Photo credit: Porsche
June 2018: Porsche is on a mission to build a big, badass all-electric car, but the project is no longer called the Mission E. Today Porsche CEO Oliver Blume announced that the car would be called the “Taycan.”
The name, announced during 70th anniversary celebrations for the automaker, apparently means “lively young horse.” It’s a reference to the prancing pony in the center of Porsche’s shield.
Ever since 2015, when the German automaker publicly committed to turning its hot concept EV into a real production car, the project has been called Mission E-“E” for electric, of course. Porsche recently said it would make an SUV version of the Mission E, too. We’ll have to wait for the crossover’s official name, which we presume will not remain the Mission E Cross Turismo.
Here’s what else we know about the Taycan, which is currently on schedule to be released in 2020:
Porsche has an existing big sedan, the Panamera, but don’t suppose the automaker is simply going to toss in a big battery and electrify that car. The Taycan will ride on a custom-built platform called J1 with a big space in the floor for its hulking lithium-ion battery. The Taycan will come with multiple variants. Reportedly, the three initial power outputs offered will be 402 hp, 536 hp, and 670 hp.
Photo credit: Porsche
Porsche’s most ambitious play may be its move to outdo Tesla when it comes to high-speed charging. Whereas Mr. Musk’s superchargers offer 480 volts, Porsche is working on 800-volt infrastructure to charge the Taycan and its all-electric successors. That’s enough juice to take the Taycan 250 miles on just 15 minutes of charging.
Look for the real production version of the Tacyan to emerge at one of the big car shows of 2019-perhaps Frankfurt, where the concept debuted.
Photo credit: Porsche
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