Tesla Model S Better Hide, Porsche Now In The Electric Race With Taycan Turbo S

I remember being fascinated by exotic, but mostly fictional vehicles as a child. It was interesting to see how animated shows painted a vivid picture of a mode of transport that might one day become reality. Auto makers are now finally catching up!

Apart from the fact that some of those imaginary cars had the ability to fly around the city like in Jetsons, electric cars are more or less their true embodiment. If you recall - these cars had little to no sound, just like today¡¯s EVs. They had a sleek, aerodynamic shape with LEDs all over and were filled with touchscreens inside. They were the all electric Porsche Taycan Turbo S!

Now some might argue that Lamborghinis and Ferraris easily trump this Porsche in looks but that is not the point. While the formers have been the favourites for motorists for that cutting edge look and feel, Porsche has always been the classic iteration of a "CAR", one that kids want to have a toy or a model of. The Taycan Turbo S models are what present generation of kids will be playing with soon.

Porsche Taycan Turbo S carries Porsche's signature flat and wide front with emerging headlights.

Now don¡¯t get us wrong. We have not personally seen the Taycan upfront. But then, neither did we the ones in Tron: Legacy. Its just how farther you can think of in the future. Will it have wings? Will it have hover over ground and water or have a supersonic speed? For now, electric propulsion is futuristic enough. Fit it with a holographic windscreen and self-driving technology and we are good to go!

Tayc-An Look

For everything else, the Porsche Taycan S seems to be the perfect fit. It is meant to be. After all, an 88-years old German manufacturer has worked on it for years! Now that the car has made its global debut before the Frankfurt Motor Show, it is just the result you¡¯d expect as the first electric car by a firm known for producing title runners like the 911 Turbo S.

Its not hard to figure either. A look at the Taycan Turbo S and you will know its a Porsche. A flat and wide front, a sporty roofline sloping downward to the rear and pronounced wing shoulders. Then there are the acutely chiselled side sections engulfing the compact and sleek cabin. Nothing short of a visual treat!

There is an LED bar running all around the rear of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S.

But what makes it ¡°futuristic¡± are the LED lights shaped oh-so elegantly all around. While the headlights have been adorned with split LED DRLs on all four corners, there is a striking light bar running along the entire length of the rear. Look close and you will even find a glass-effect Porsche logo inside!

All of this in an aerodynamic shape which Porsche claims has a Cd value of 0.22. That means very low air friction, low energy consumption and a higher range.

The Near-Perfect Electricals

That is a ¡°high¡± to the count of 450 km on a single charge for the Taycan Turbo. The Turbo S is limited to 412 km, as per WLTP in each case. Couple this to the fact that the Taycans can be charged to a range of 100 kms within 5 minutes using a DC fast charger. Meanwhile, charging from 5% to 80% takes around 20 minutes for the 93.4 kWh Performance Battery Plus.

Ohh, and did we mention, the Taycan is the first production vehicle with a system voltage of 800 volts! That means less current needed for shifting the same amount of energy. This further leads to less heat to disperse and hence thinner cables needed for the same. In comparison, Tesla Model S uses a 375 volt system voltage.

Porsche Taycan is the first battery electric car with a 800V system voltage.

The Taycan Turbo and the Taycan Turbo S come with two electric motors, one each on the front and the rear axle, making them an all-wheel drive. An interesting engineering advanced shared by Porsche mentions that the drive module on the Taycan uses more Copper through a ¡®hairpin¡¯ winding technology for an increased power output and torque.

Porsche Performance

Pulling away from the engineering language, let us use some maths to know what the Taycan has in store. Porsche claims a top speed of 260 kmph for both models. While the Taycan accelerates from 0 to 100 kmph in 3.2 seconds, the Turbo S lowers it further to 2.8 seconds. Now keep in mind that even though that is not less than the fastest Tesla, it beats any other high performance electric car in the market.

Porsche Taycan Turbo S goes from 0 to 100 kmph in 2.8 seconds.

Porsche, however, has a different focus in this department. It recently conducted an experiment at the Nard¨° high-speed track in Italy wherein a pre-production unit of the car was driven for 3,425 km in under 24 hours at very high speeds. The idea was to show that the Taycan can deliver consistent high-performance output for prolonged periods, something it says even the Tesla Model S cannot match. All thanks to the 800 system voltage!

Inside the Taycan

This is where things get even more exciting. Porsche has done away with almost all the switches, knobs or gauges found inside a typical car. Instead, the company has gone for touch screens everywhere. That includes four (yes four!) screens at the front, with a passenger one being optional. And being a four door, you bet Porsche did not forget about the rear passengers, so there is a touch screen for climate control at the back too! Don¡¯t like touch screens? Just say ¡°Hey Porsche¡± to activate its voice control function.

Porsche also offers an optional touchscreen for the passenger on the Taycan.

For the first time ever, Porsche has gone for a completely leather-free interior in its car. That is to stress on the concept of a sustainable vehicle. Hence, the interiors of the Taycan have been made from innovative recycled materials.

Where To Next?

With the Taycan Turbo and the Turbo S, Porsche has just announced its entry into the global EV market. Now considering it is Porsche, everyone knew something big was on the cards. And it is safe to say that the Taycan Turbo S did not let anyone down.

After all, even Tesla made its debut with the high-end Roadster for the first time, before boiling down to more affordable battery electric cars like the Model S and the Model 3. Something similar is on Porsche¡¯s mind now.

Porsche Taycan Turbo S

The Taycan Turbo costs around $151,000 (Rs 1.08 Cr) while the Turbo S comes with a price tag of $185,000 (Rs 1.33 Cr). Porsche has said that it will now be coming up with less powerful variants of these electric cars later this year. That means more affordable options for buyers.

It further adds, ¡°the first derivative to be added will be the Taycan Cross Turismo at the end of next year.¡± So it is safe to say that the German OEM is completely focused on battery electric cars for now. It confirms this by stating that by the end of 2022, it will have invested more than six billion euros in electro-mobility.

That, of course, will depend on how the electric Taycan fairs in the market against competitors like the Tesla Model S, Audi e-Tron and the upcoming Aston Martin RapidE. For now, those having enough weight in their pockets can rejoice on the magical words - "The Porsche Taycan Turbo S and Porsche Taycan Turbo are now available to order"!