We already know that what was shown as the Mission E concept will be getting rebadged the Taycan when it enters production next year. Now we know a little bit better just how powerful it will be. Porsche says that the electric sports sedan will have more than 600 hp on tap, as well as a range of "over 500 km." That's from a pair of electric motors, one on each axle, so all-wheel drive will be standard.
That's enough power to push the car to 100 km/h in "well under 3.5 seconds," says Porsche, and to top 200 km/h in under 12. This isn't a road-only electric, either. Porsche says that the Taycan is "naturally track-ready."
The lithium-ion battery is an 800-volt unit made up of 200 4-volt cells. Porsche says that it will have more than 500 km of electric range, though that's on the notoriously optimistic NEDC drive cycle that's more generous than the figures we see for Canada. Then again, since they don't say how much more than 500 km, it could still top that nice round figure, though Porsche hasn't released the exact kilowatt-hour size of the battery or expected overall weight of the Taycan either.
That 800v system allows for faster charging, too. Porsche says that on an advanced 800v charger, the car can add 400 km of range in about 15 minutes. That's not quite gasoline-car quick, but it's close enough that it might as well be. It will work on lower-voltage charging as well. Porsche is still working on rolling out a network of 800v charging stations, along with BMW, Daimler, Ford, and the rest of the Volkswagen group in Europe, but the maximum current for installed chargers now is roughly 440v range in North America.
Porsche wants the Taycan to run in the same conditions and with the same reliability as the rest of its line. The company has now built more than 100 prototypes and expects to have "into the millions of kilometers" of testing mileage on the cars before market arrival in late 2019.
The company also said that it wants to be the first German automaker to shift to electromobility. By 2025, the goal is for one in two Porsches to have electric drive, with that split between hybrids and full EVs.
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