The Taycan may only be due for release at some point late in 2019 but there has been so much interest in the car that Porsche claims to have received over 10,000 order requests from potential customers. That should allay the fears of those within the company who thought that the introduction of an all-electric Porsche might be met with a negative reaction.
With such a lot of interest surrounding this potentially game-changing supercar, UK publication Auto Express managed to get access to some pre-production prototypes that are being built at the rate of two a day, to uncover a few more details.
As with any brand-new addition to a model range, getting the production numbers right ahead of time can be tricky. Lutz Meschke, Deputy Chairman for Finance and IT at Porsche is tasked with this job and he said that they plan to sell up to 25,000 units per year. “We are capable of ramping up our production capacity substantially if demand exceeds expectations.”
If the Taycan performs as promised, those production figures are sure to be on the conservative side. And about those performance claims, for now, Porsche engineers are not revealing exact battery specifications or driving range but they say that up to 310-miles should be possible and the 350kW fast charging system could add 180-miles of range in as little as 9 minutes.
Powertrain-wise the Taycan should develop over 600 horsepower and will have a permanently excited synchronous electric motor (PSM) at each axle. These motors are developments of the units used on the Le Mans winning 919 LMP1 car and are both lighter and more compact than traditional electric motors.
The 0-62mph sprint will take around 3.5 seconds while 124 mph will arrive less than 9 seconds later. Porsche usually understates its acceleration claims, so it may even be a bit quicker in real-world testing. What they do say is that these figures will be repeatable over and over again without losing performance. Now that is something that should appeal to its core customers. A head-to-head against Tesla's own Model S will be an interesting comparison indeed.
The plan is to expand the Taycan line to include more affordable variants, rumor has it that there will be three in total with power outputs starting at 400 hp with a rear-wheel-drive option a possibility at a later date. Over-the-air updates will also be possible with the Taycan, and may include infotainment upgrades, power boosts as well as safety tech improvements.
Interestingly, the Taycan’s architecture will also be used as a base for the upcoming Bentley EV and a fully electric Porsche SUV is also in the cards by 2022 at the latest. The full Taycan reveal will take place at next year’s Frankfurt Auto Show and it will spearhead a new era of electric Porsches, that, according to Meschke, would make the traditional Porsche a niche offering by 2030.
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