2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S Experience

2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S Experience https://youtu.be/QIdkfJ7Zfks

2020 Porsche Taycan is here. Although Porsche has been building hybrids for years now (including the 918 Spyder supercar), this is Porsche’s first foray into the world of EVs. It’s new and exciting ground for the German automaker, one many (including all of us here at Autoblog) are quite excited for. The Taycan Turbo and Turbo S will go on sale later this year, with other trims and a wagon variant based on the Mission E Cross Turismo concept following sometime in the next year.

Yes, despite containing no internal combustion engine to attach a turbocharger, Porsche is using the Turbo and Turbo S names for the Taycan. Porsche says it's using the name so customers can equate it to top-level trims on its other vehicles, but we still think it’s a little dumb. In terms of size, the Taycan slots below the Panamera and is roughly the same size as a BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class or Tesla Model S. The design is nearly identical to the Mission E concept we saw a few years back. It’s handsome and purposeful and distinctly Porsche. Don’t worry: Those fake exhaust tips on all the prototypes were just there for show.

Both Taycan models are fully electric, sending power to both axles courtesy of a pair of permanently excited synchronous electric motors. These are expensive to use, but Porsche says the benefits — a compact design, good power density and good heat management — outweigh the increased cost. The front axle uses a single-speed gear set with an 8:1 ratio. The rear axle uses a two-speed transmission, an unusual trait for modern EVs. First gear is used for acceleration. The Taycan shifts around 62 mph, and top speed for both models is 162 mph.
The Turbo and Turbo S both make 616 horsepower. Using an “overboost” function, the Taycan can make up to 670 horsepower, while the Turbo S sends up to 750 horsepower to the wheels. Peak torque is 626 and 774 pound-feet respectively. The torque split is fully variable between the two axles. The Taycan hits 60 mph in 3.0 seconds in the Turbo and 2.6 in the Turbo S. Note that those are both slower than Tesla’s numbers for the Model S. The phrase Porsche kept repeating was “repeatable performance,” making the point that these cars focused on all-around performance rather than straight-line acceleration. That said, the Turbo does the quarter mile in 11.1 seconds. The Turbo S drops that to 10.8.
Porsche cites a range for the Taycan of 450 kilometers (280 miles), though no official EPA test number is available yet. Like most pure EVs, the Taycan’s lithium-ion battery pack is mounted on the floor in a “skateboard” setup. At the back, the battery forms a “T” shape with cutouts in the floor to increase backseat foot room. Total battery capacity is 93 kWh. The Taycan uses an 800-volt charging system as opposed to the 400-volt setup in most other EVs. This drastically reduces charging times, though the 270 kWh peak is still limited by the battery. Porsche expects that to improve to 400-500 kWh as technology improves. In optimal conditions, the Taycan can go from 5 percent to 80 percent in 22.5 minutes. That is limited by temperature and the charging infrastructure.