The Porsche Taycan. When Porsche becomes electric

On September 4th, I traveled, at the invitation of Porsche Canada, to the Niagara Region to attend the unveiling of the Porsche Taycan. It was one of three simultaneous launches with China and Germany. Here is a summary of what the vehicle is and also a discussion with Porsche Canada CEO, Marc Ouayoun.

Discover The Porsche Taycan

It was right in front of Niagara Falls that the unveiling took place. In tribute to hydroelectricity, Canada’s primary resource for generating electricity. The vehicle, as you can see, is superb. The car has hardly changed from the Mission E concept, even the wheels are the same, something that rarely happens in concept unveiling. You are certainly asking yourself several questions about Taycan, I will be happy to answer them.

Autonomy

This is perhaps one of the weak points of this vehicle, the Turbo S has a maximum range of 412 km and the Turbo a maximum range of 450 km according to the WLTP. It must be said that this is the first Porsche vehicle and that it is data when you push the vehicle to the maximum. It goes without saying that the next vehicles will certainly have a much greater autonomy.

Performances

With an 800-volt battery, the “engine” can deploy up to 560 kW for the Porsche Taycan Turbo S, and 500 kW for the Turbo version, the most powerful version of the two models presented, and can do the 0–100 km/h in 2.8 seconds with the launch control launch (3.2 for the Turbo version) and can reach a top speed of 260 km/h.

The Taycan is also equipped with the Porsche Active Aerodynamics system, which includes an adaptive rear spoiler and adjustable cooling air intakes, designed specifically for dynamic driving. The rear wing is deployed in 3 positions, depending on the driving situation: at 90 km/h, 160 km/h and 200 km/h, it shows when an electric vehicle becomes a sports car and a car Porsche sports car.

When it comes to energy recovery when braking, Porsche Recuperation Management (PRM) has an innovative function and can regenerate up to 90% of energy. Thus, during active braking, the recovery the recovery is activated first, the mechanical brake intervenes only in case of need for greater braking power—it is intelligently controlled by the braking system capable of managing the interaction. With a very high recovery power of up to 265 kW, on the Taycan, energy can be fed back into the battery. Or more precisely: on a daily basis, for example, you get up to a third of your autonomy only by recuperation, with a sport driving mode. During a recovery deceleration of 200 km to 0 km/h, electrical energy can be recovered for an additional range of up to 4 km.

The Exterior

The design of the car is a dream. It’s a real Porsche. With its sleek and elegant design, the Taycan marks the beginning of a new era. At the same time, it retains the undeniable DNA of Porsche’s design. From the front, it is particularly wide and flat with very profiled wings. Its silhouette is formed by the sporty roofline sloping down to the rear. The very sculpted side sections are also characteristic of models like the 911, for example. The elegant cockpit, the rear C-pillar and the pronounced shoulders of the wings give a strongly accentuated rear, characteristic of the brand. There are also innovative elements, such as the Porsche logo glass effect, integrated in the light bar at the back. With a Cd value of 0.22, the aerodynamically optimized basic shape contributes significantly to low power consumption and therefore long range.

The Interior

The interior of the Taycan looks like a Porsche. It offers up to 4 screens. The fully digital curved screen is oriented towards the driver.

You’ll have access to navigation, media, your phone, settings and Apple CarPlay (first full integration into a vehicle). You can also check the opening of the trunk and the charging hatches as well as the state of charge of the battery.

From the touchscreen display in the Porsche Advanced Cockpit, Apple Music subscribers can stream over 50 million songs ad-free, thousands of curated playlists, and the Beats 1 global livestream with three-year complimentary in-car music streaming in the Taycan. This is the first-ever full integration of Apple Music in any vehicle.

“Porsche and Apple Music fit perfectly—we share common values, and the same relentless attitude to user experience, to quality engineering, to design, and to innovation,” says Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing at Porsche A G. “Together, we bring innovative digital entertainment technologies in our high-performance sports cars, starting with our fully electric Taycan.”

“Listening to music while driving can be an electrifying feeling,” said Oliver Schusser, Vice President of Apple Music and International Content. “Since Apple Music launched, we’ve been working to bring our customers the best music experience possible in the car, and Porsche has been on the cutting edge in this space. Porsche builds sports cars at the highest level and today, with the introduction of the Taycan, customers now can choose Apple Music built-in seamlessly to find the perfect soundtrack for every drive.”

The price of the Porsche Taycan

As for the price, it is $173,900 for the Turbo version and $213,900 for the Turbo S version

Interview with Marc  Marc Ouayoun, CEO of Porsche Canada, about The Porsche Taycan

This is a big launch, which we have here this morning in front of the magnificent Niagara Falls.

Yes, for me, this is the most important launch of the last 20 years for Porsche, since the Cayenne, which has really transformed our company, and also allowed us to leave the segment of the pure sports car, and there clearly, we are entering a new horizon with the electric cars and we want to show that we are able to make a car that is 100% electric and 100% Porsche and we can see it in many details.

There is not much difference from the Mission E concept presented just 48 months ago. How do you get there with this car that will probably make people dream and not disappoint as many concepts do before reaching the market version?

In fact, it was the goal of the designers to reflect the positive echo of Mission E. We really wanted to stay in the idea, in the design. You will find about 80% of  the design of Mission E in the final car. Of course, there are safety and production constraints that make the car a little bit different, but there are few manufacturers who are able to make a final car that is as close to a concept and with as many points that mark Porsche’s DNA. We see it inside with the typical Porsche center console, you sit as low as a 911 in the Taycan. It’s really a sports car.

Even at the level of the rims, it’s really something different.

These are rims that have been specifically designated for the Taycan and we have several types, some of which are more environmentally friendly, that lead to better ecological performance, and are therefore a little fuller and we have larger and more open rims like those. Those who are more athletic, but who increase the consumption of the car a little bit.

Being in Canada, we are a country where winter is very present. When we talk about winter, what can we expect?

It is really a vehicle made to ride the winter, necessarily, it takes some necessary equipment like snow tires for example, of course, the car has been tested with temperatures around -40 degrees Celsius.

I imagine that the performance of the battery should be lower in winter.

All batteries lose some capacity in winter; now we still have a 93 kW battery, it’s already a big battery. We have a special equipment standard in Canada, the Heating Pump, a small heat pump that allows you to gain autonomy in winter with the battery. It was something that was asked for Canada and we tried to get the car ready for Canadian winters.

We are talking about an arrival on the market at the beginning of 2020, is that it?

Yes exactly. We will give the exact date in a few weeks, but it will be in the first quarter of 2020.

Did you drive the Taycan? What are your impressions?

I was lucky enough to drive her while she was still a prototype. I was impressed by the chassis. Of course the acceleration. But the connection between the chassis, active stabilizer bars at the front, the three-chamber suspension that is very effective, both comfort and sport, you can choose its mode. With the rear wheels, you have a car that is stuck to the road. Really that behaves like a 911 and has an extremely low center of gravity. It’s really to tell you, the Taycan is a real Porsche by its dynamic qualities and, of course, by its design, you see that it looks like no other car except a little with the DNA of Porsche that we find. The signature at the front is very characteristic of the four bright spots that the designers have tried to adapt.

It looks like the old Porsche with retractable lights.

Yes quite. This is a very modern interpretation of Porsche DNA.

And finally, what do you prefer from Taycan?

Ah! There, you ask me a difficult question! When you fall in love, you cannot say what you love most. You like everything. I am in love with this car, the design, I find it fantastic. Really, if I had to choose something, it would be a crush on the interior design that is both traditional and where we find the horizontal lines of Porsche, where we find the suspended cap, but especially very modern, very digital and absolutely beautiful in terms of performance and quality.

Thanks to the Porsche Canada team for the invitation. The travel expenses were paid by Porsche Canada, the opinions remain those of Gentologie and its editors.

Originally published in the Gentologie Magazine Issue 1