LOOK: This is the new Porsche Taycan

PORSCHE simultaneously premiered its first full-electric sports car in North America, China and Europe. The carmaker said these are the most important markets for the new Taycan.

The new four-door sports sedan is a unique package offering characteristic Porsche performance and connectivity with everyday usability. At the same time, highly advanced production methods and the features of the Taycan are setting new standards in sustainability and digitalization.

“The Taycan links our heritage to the future. It carries forward the success story of our brand — a brand that has fascinated and thrilled people the world over for more than 70 years,” said Oliver Blume, chairman of the executive board of Porsche AG, during the car’s world premiere in Berlin,

“This day marks the start of a new era,” he declared.

The first models in the new series are the Taycan Turbo S and Taycan Turbo. They are at the cutting edge of Porsche E-Performance and are among the most powerful production models that the sports car manufacturer currently has in its product range.

Porsche said less powerful variants of these all-wheel drive vehicles will follow this year, and the first derivative to be added will be the Taycan Cross Turismo at the end of 2020. By 2022, Porsche will have invested more than $6.6 billion in electric mobility.

“We promised a true Porsche for the age of electric mobility — a fascinating sports car that not only excites in terms of its technology and driving dynamics, but also sparks a passion in people all over the world, just like its legendary predecessors have done. Now we are delivering on this promise,” said Michael Steiner, member of the executive board of Porsche AG – Research and Development.

The flagship Turbo S version of the Taycan can generate up to 750hp in combination with Launch Control and overboost, while the Taycan Turbo can produce up to 670hp. Porsche said the Taycan Turbo S can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 2.6 seconds while the Taycan Turbo can complete this sprint in 3.0 seconds. The top speed of both all-wheel-drive cars is 260km/h.

The Taycan Turbo S and Taycan Turbo have two efficient electric motors, one on the front axle and one on the rear axle, making the cars all-wheel drive. Both the range and the continuous power of the drive system benefit from the efficient permanently excited synchronous motors. The electric motor, transmission and pulse-controlled inverter are each combined into a compact drive module. The modules have the highest power density among all electric powertrains on the market today. A special feature of the electric motors are the “hairpin” windings of the stator coils. This technology makes it possible to incorporate more copper in the stator, increasing power output and torque while maintaining the same component volume.

The two-speed transmission installed on the rear axle is an innovation developed by Porsche. First gear lets the Taycan prioritize acceleration from a standing start, while second gear, with its long gear ratio, ensures high efficiency and equally high power reserves while traveling at high speeds.

Porsche said the Taycan is the first production vehicle with a system voltage of 800 volts instead of the commonly used 400 volts for electric cars. This is a particular advantage for Taycan drivers on the road, according to the carmaker. It explained that under ideal conditions, the charging time from 5% to 80% takes just 22.5 minutes, with a maximum charging power of up to 270kW. The overall capacity of the 800-volt high-voltage battery is 93.4kWh. Porsche said Taycan drivers can charge their cars with up to 9.6kW of AC at home using a standard SAE J1772 connector.

With its clean Porsche design, the Taycan ushers in a new era. At the same time, it retains the unmistakable Porsche design DNA. From the front, it looks wide and flat with highly contoured wings. The silhouette is shaped by the sporty roof line sloping downward to the rear. The highly sculpted side sections are also a strong characteristic of Porsche styling. The sleek cabin, the drawn-in rear C-pillar and the pronounced shoulders of the wings result in a sharply emphasized rear. There are also innovative elements such as the glass-look Porsche logo, which has been integrated into the light bar at the rear. With a coefficient of drag value as low as 0.22, the aerodynamically optimized basic shape makes a significant contribution to low energy consumption and thus long range.

The cockpit signals the start of a new era of interior design at Porsche with its clear structure and a completely new architecture. The free-standing, curved instrument cluster forms the highest point on the dashboard. This places a clear focus on the driver axis. A central, 10.9-inch infotainment display and an optional passenger display are combined to form an integrated glass band in a black-panel look. All user interfaces have been designed from scratch for the Taycan. The number of classic hardware controls such as switches and buttons has been greatly reduced. Instead, control is intelligent and intuitive — using touch operation or the voice control function, which responds to the command “Hey Porsche”.

With the Taycan, Porsche offers an entirely leather-free interior option for the first time. Interiors made from innovative recycled materials underscore the sustainable concept of the electric sports car.

Fitted to the Taycan are innovative chassis systems that include adaptive air suspension with three-chamber technology including PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) electronic damper control, as well as the optional Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (PDCC Sport) electromechanical roll stabilization system including Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus).

Multiple driving modes allow drivers to select Normal, Sport, Sport Plus or Range. An Individual mode lets systems to be configured as required.