It’s been quite some time since Porsche first announced that it would be building an all-electric sports car known as the Mission E. Since then, it has been serving up teasers and more than its fair share of information about its electrified offering. Now, a year or so before actual production commences, the German carmaker has christened its zero-emissions sportscar as the Taycan.
Pronounced tie-can, the car will not just be an all-new model from Porsche. It signals a new era for sports cars and motoring in general. As gearheads, we’re used to the sound of a burbling exhaust and the smell of carbon monoxide coming out of the tailpipe. You could say it’s music to our ears, though the latter is admittedly dangerous to our health. More importantly, a need for speed sees us wanting to experience being pushed back in our seats while accelerating to breakneck velocity.
The Porsche Taycan, however, is set to change all this. Well, part of it at least. You see, Porsche claims that its two Permanently excited Sychronous Motors (PSM) would produce over 600hp. That’s 600 fully electric horses. This, along with the innate torque coming from such a powerplant, will be able to rocket the car from rest to 100kph in under 3.5 seconds and hit the 200kph mark in less than 12 ticks. Moreover, you can do all this without those harmful tailpipe emissions.
Folks worried about driving range will be happy to note that the car will be able to go up to 500kms on a single charge. Of course, this is an ideal scenario that is still admittedly quite reassuring. So in a nutshell, the Porsche Taycan promises to marry guilt-free motoring with the joys of driving. It will allow you to have your cake and eat it too.
As for that name, Porsche says that it is a rough translation of lively young horse. Those who know their Porsches will be aware that this refers to the car’s character and its reference to the steed on the Porsche Crest. Just as the Macan refers to the Indonesian tiger being agile and nimble, and the Boxster being a play of words for boxer and roadster, the Taycan describes the kind of vehicle this one will be. If the name and the press blurbs are anything to go by, the Taycan promises to be one truly electrifying sports car.
