The 2020 Porsche Taycan Has Officially Arrived: We Weren’t Expecting It To Be This Fast Or Expensive!

We're well beyond Tesla's current prices here

Top-end Porsche Taycan models will touch the $200,000 mark.

Porsche’s first all-electric car is finally here, and this is our chance to see the Taycan first hand. In the video below, Porsche invited us out to see this morning’s official reveal, and provided us with all the technical information on the car.

In the meantime, here are the headline figures for the 2020 Porsche Taycan. There are two models — following the conventional Turbo and Turbo S names — and the faster of the two hits 0-60 in 2.6 seconds. That’s nearly as fast as Tesla claims for their Model S with Ludicrous mode. That turn of speed comes thanks to a dual motor all-wheel drive system. Under normal conditions, the 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S has 616 horsepower (460 kW) and 774 lb-ft of torque going to all four wheels. Engage the launch control, and you actually get even more power, up to 750 horsepower, while the torque remains the same. Porsche claims the Taycan’s top track speed is 161 mph. The Turbo S model can run the quarter-mile in 10.8 seconds, while the slightly slower turbo takes 11.1 seconds.

Unlike some electric cars, the 2020 Porsche Taycan does have a two-speed transmission installed on the rear axle. First gear is meant for better acceleration from a standing start. Second gear, on the other hand, is meant for better efficiency and power reserves at high speeds.

2020 Porsche Taycan

While the power is certainly there, so are the high price tags. We were expecting six figure prices for the 2020 Porsche Taycan, and the car is well within that range. In fact, the Turbo model has an $153,310 MSRP at launch. If you’re in the market for the faster Turbo S, it will cost you a whopping $185,000 at launch. That is less expensive than the impending Tesla Roadster’s claimed price, but it’s a huge premium on something like a Tesla Model S. Porsche does say less expensive models are coming this year, while the Taycan Cross Turismo will arrive by the end of 2020. At this point, we still don’t know the price of the base Taycan model.

2020 Porsche Taycan

Charging

This is an all-electric car, so charging times are a huge consideration. Fortunately, we’ve known for awhile that the Porsche Taycan will have an 800-volt charging system on board. Under ideal conditions, including the infrastructure which is still under development, Porsche says the car can charge from 5 to 80 percent in 22.5 minutes. The Taycan’s maximum battery capacity is a reasonable 93.4 kWh — about the same as a top-end Tesla Model S. On a normal SAE J1772 connector, owners can also charge their cars up at home on a 9.6 kW AC plug.

2020 Porsche Taycan

Performance

Apart from the electric car’s sheer turn of speed, Porsche also incorporates its other performance know-how into the Taycan. That includes what’s classed “Porsche 4D Chassic Control”, which analyzes the car’s chassis control systems in real time. The 2020 Porsche Taycan has a wave of acronyms to describe their systems, such as PASM (Porsche Active Stability Management), PDCC Sport (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport), and a roll stabilization setup called PTV Plus (Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus). These systems all work together with the Taycan’s all-wheel drive system to make all that power as accessible as possible. Porsche also claims up to 265 kW of potential energy recuperation thanks to the electric motors.

The new Taycan has a slippery 0.22 drag coefficient, making it more aerodynamic than a Tesla Model S. However, the Porsche is heavier, with the Turbo S model weighing in at 5,121 pounds.

As with other Porsche models, the new Taycan also offers a range of drive modes. “Normal” is the standard setting, while there’s also “Sport”, “Sport Plus” and “Range”. Speaking of that last setting, Porsche has not explicitly mentioned the actual range for the 2020 Taycan, though hopefully we’ll know more about that in the coming weeks.

2020 Porsche Taycan

Technology

We couldn’t help but gawk a bit at the sheer number of infotainment screens aboard the 2020 Porsche Taycan. Apart from the large instrument cluster, there’s also a 10.9-inch main display. But that’s not all, as there’s also an optional, equally-sized display strictly for the passenger. On top of that, Porsche included a smaller screen just below the main one for climate controls, and more controls for rear-seat passengers.

Porsche moved away from more traditional buttons with this car, opting for touchscreen controls instead. However, the car also responds to voice controls when you say, “Hey Porsche”. Around back, the 2020 Porsche Taycan has 12.9 cubic feet of storage space, while its front storage area has 2.8 cubic feet more capacity.

Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more updates on the Taycan!