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As we expected, Porsche introduced in its line a version with a single engine and rear-wheel drive of the Taycan electric vehicle.
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Costing $ 79,900 without tax credits or incentives, it is almost $ 24,000 cheaper than the Taycan 4S, which has two engines and four-wheel drive.
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Part of that cost savings included making air suspension an option; if you stick with conventional adaptive dampers and springs, the drag coefficient increases by 0.02 – a small price to pay for saving all that money.
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The view from the driver’s seat is still the same, with a large glass screen that looks better than almost every car I’ve driven in the past 18 months.
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Of course, you can go crazy in the list of options, but you don’t have to. You get three years of free charging from Electrify America and even Apple Music as standard.
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Race-Tex fabric is standard and would be my choice over leather.
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Electricity comes in here.
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A rear light or reflector that extends across the back of a car is called a heckblende.
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On Tuesday, Porsche filled its Taycan electric vehicle line with a cheaper and lighter variant. It’s just called the Porsche Taycan – no S, no Turbo, not even any numbers – and it differs from the other Taycan in that it has only a single electric motor, which drives the rear wheels. It’s even expensive … for a Porsche. At $ 79,900 (before any tax credits or incentives), it is almost $ 24,000 cheaper than the next variant in the line, the Taycan 4S.
As with the 4S, there is the option of two batteries. The standard Taycan comes with a 79.2 kWh (full capacity) package and a 321 hp (240 kW) and 250 lb-ft (339 Nm) rear engine, increasing to 402 hp (300 kW) and 254 lb- feet (344 Nm) if you use the launch control. Do this – exiting a highway toll, for example – and the Taycan will reach 60 mph in 5.1 seconds. Find an unrestricted stretch of the German autobahn and eventually the Taycan will reach 143 mph (230 km / h). At 4,566 lb (2,071 kg), it is the lightest Taycan, although the 0.24 drag coefficient makes it a little less slippery than the 4S or Turbo, unless you add the optional air suspension back.
Thanks to Porsche’s 800 V electric architecture, quick charging is really fast. Connected to a 350kW DC fast charger, the Taycan will charge up to 225kW and 5 to 80% of the charge in 22.5 minutes, just like the more expensive Taycans. An official EPA banner should be available in the coming weeks, so for now, an EU value of 28 kWh / 100km – equivalent to 2.2 miles / kWh, with the understanding that the WLTP test is very different from EPA, making a direct comparison difficult – that’s all the information we have. (Taycan is famous for having a wider reach in the real world than the EPA estimate.)
But wait, there’s more
If you want a little more power and a little more range, the Taycan is also available with 93.4 kWh (again, full capacity) “Performance Battery Plus”. This raises the price to $ 85,680 (again, before incentives), but it also increases power to 375hp (280kW), or 469hp (350kW) and 263lb-feet (357Nm) when using launch control. The larger battery adds more gross weight (4,742 pounds / 2,151 kg), so that 0-60 mph and the top speed are the same, although the performance battery plus the car are slightly faster at 400 meters.
The larger battery can accept a more powerful charge – 270 kW as the much more expensive taycan. The charging time should still be 22.5 minutes with 5-80% of charge state.
I must admit that I am more than curious to sit behind the wheel of a standard Taycan. Losing the front generator unit saves 205 lb (93 kg) compared to the Taycan 4S, and all that weight has been removed from the front axle, which should improve Taycan’s ability to change direction, an exercise in which it already excels .
What makes Taycan’s entry even more intriguing is the fact that it is cheaper than a 911, even before you count the $ 7,500 tax credit from the IRS. It’s $ 19,300 cheaper than the cheapest new 911, in fact, for a car with better technology, an incredible interior, usable rear seats and no exhaust emissions. Is it just me or has the future just arrived?
List image by Porsche