Porsche's First Electric Car Named Taycan; Will Rival Tesla Model S Upon Launch

The Taycan will take 3.5s to reach 100kmph from standstill, 0.3s quicker than the 550PS Porsche Panamera Turbo

Porsche has announced the name of its Tesla Model S rival, the production-spec Mission E concept. Called the Taycan, the electric sedan is all set to get into production by next year, ahead of its international debut in 2020. The Taycan will be the first electric car by Porsche and it will continue to be a performance-oriented sportscar staying true to the Porsche tradition.

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Porsche says that the name Taycan roughly translates to “lively young horse”, paying homage to the leaping horse that has been featured on the brand’s crest logo since 1952.

The Porsche Taycan is powered by two electric motors (mounted on each axle) with a combined output of 600PS. These electric motors draw power from the floor-mounted lithium-ion batteries and are capable enough to take the sedan from 0-100kmph in under 3.5 seconds and 0-200kmph in under 12 seconds. In comparison, the Porsche Panamera Turbo’s 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine makes 550PS of maximum power and goes from 0-100kmph in 3.8s. Porsche claims that the Taycan will have a range of more than 500km and a charging time of 4 minutes for a range of 100km.

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The Tesla Model S P100D , on the other hand, does the 0-100kmph stint in 2.5s. It’s the flagship Tesla and costs $136,200 (Rs 91.86 lakh) in the US. The Model S has a claimed range of 500km.

Porsche has not specifically confirmed the Taycan for India yet. However, we expect the electric sedan to debut here alongside its international launch (in 2020) as the German carmaker has already confirmed that it will launch its first EV in India by 2020.

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