Porsche Taycan - The Story

1st Generation Porsche Taycan (9J1) Story & History

Official photos: Turbo & Turbo S 2019 September 4, 4S 2019 October 14 / Premiere: 2019 September 4 for invited quests in Germany, China and Canada, publicly 2019 September 12 at IAA Frankfurt motor show / Market launch: Turbo & Turbo S 2019 September, 4S 2020 January

Taycan Technical Specifications

Variant	kWh	power	torque	range highway	range combined	range city	0-60 mph	0-100 km/h	0-100 mph	0-200 km/h	mph	km/h	kg	lb
2020 Taycan	79.2 gross / 71.0 net	300 kW						5.4 sec.			143	230
2020 Taycan +	93.4 gross / 83.7 net	350 kW						5.4 sec.			143	230
2020 Taycan 4S	79.2 gross / 71.0 net	320 kW / 390 kW (Overboost)	471 lb-ft / 640 Nm	198 mi / 320 km	206-252 mi / 333-407 km	237-289 mi / 382-466 km		4.0 sec.			155	250	2,140	4,718
2020 Taycan 4S+	93.4 gross / 83.7 net	360 kW / 420 kW (Overboost)	478 lb-ft / 650 Nm	226 mi / 365 km	239-287 mi / 386-463 km	270-325 mi / 435-523 km		4.0 sec.			155	250	2,220	4,894
2019 Taycan Turbo	93.4 gross / 83.7 net	460 kW / 500 kW (Overboost)	625 lb-ft / 850 Nm	230 mi / 370 km	236-279 mi / 381-450 km	268-308 mi / 432-496 km	3.0 sec.	3.2 sec.	6.9 sec.	10.6 sec.	162	260	2,305	5,082
2019 Taycan Turbo S	93.4 gross / 83.7 net	460 kW / 560 kW (Overboost)	772 lb-ft / 1050 Nm	211 mi / 340 km	241-256 mi / 388-412 km	269-293 mi / 433-472 km	2.6 sec.	2.8 sec.	6.3 sec.	9.8 sec.	162	260	2,295	5,060

Year is the year of the start of production, not model year.
Range according to WLTP Worldwide harmonised Light vehicle Test Procedure
Weight is DIN weight of German versions with standard equipment. DIN weight = car with 90% fuel, no driver, no cargo.

On June 8, 2018, the name “Taycan” was announced. It can be roughly translated as “lively young horse”, referencing the imagery at the heart of the Porsche crest. The internal Porsche code for the Taycan series is 9J1 and the Volkswagen code is Y10. The sedan is Y1A and the Cross Turismo Y1B.

From Mission E in 2015 to Taycan in 2019

At some point it was decided that the Audi “e-tron GT” will be based on Porsche’s electric sedan. This meant the exterior styling of the Taycan could not be made exactly as cool as seen on the Mission E concept car. The Taycan had to serve for other Volkswagen Group brands aswell, not definitely limited to Porsche and Audi. Compared to the Mission E, the Taycan has the front overhang a bit shorter, the roofline a bit higher and the wheelarches less bulging. It has “normal” exterior mirrors and “normal” rear doors.

While Audi is creating its own version based on the Porsche Taycan, Porsche is using 2 Audi electric car platforms for new 2021 Porsche electric cars. CEO Oliver Blume has said “If we had to cope with the challenges ahead on our own, the costs would be around 30 percent higher”. The cooperation makes electric Porsches and electric Audis significantly cheaper.

Porsche Taycan crash test — Crash testing of electric vehicles is particularly important© Porsche

Porsche Taycan in wind tunnel — Taycan’s aerodynamics were modelled in the computer and here verified in the wind tunnel. Taycan is one of the most aerodynamic cars in the world.© Porsche

Furnishing of the Porsche Taycan production line – the flexi-line – started in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen already in the beginning of 2018. Instead of the conveyors, the AGVs (automated guided vehicles) transport the car bodies. This helps to change the cycle lengths or pause an AGV for a sensitive job. In addition to the vehicle assembly, the electric motors are also produced onsite. Start of the production of the first customer vehicles: September 9, 2019.

Porsche Mission e factory rendering — Rendering of the flexi-line (showing Mission E cars, not Taycans). For Porsche, the conveyorless production line is both new and old way at the same time.© Porsche

Although “spy photos” of the Taycan test cars were around since October 2017, Porsche decided to show the camouflaged car with photos and a video on May 19, 2018.

Stefan Weckbach, Head of Porsche BEV (battery electric vehicles) and Porsche ambassador Mark Webber© Porsche

Heavily camouflaged prototype with “exhaust pipe ends”© Porsche

2018 October, testing on Nürburgring

Porsche Taycan at the 24 h test — 2018 November: a test saw 2128 miles/3425 km covered in 24 hours. This translates to average speed of 88 mph/142 km/h. The battery packs must have been replaced every hour.© Porsche

7:42 Nürburging Nordschleife lap time

On August 26, 2019, Porsche unveiled that the Taycan had lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes and 42.34 seconds. This translates to average speed of 100 mph/160 km/h. The top speed was 161 mph/259 km/h. The car was piloted by Lars Kern, who has set the Nürburgring records for Porsche 991 GT3 and GT2 RS cars. This result placed the Taycan family sedan between the 997 GT3 3.8 and the Cayman 981 GT4 track day cars.

Porsche Taycan on Nürburgring Nordschleife, 2019 — Still with camouflage© Porsche

Lars Kern in Porsche Taycan on Nürburgring Nordschleife, 2019 — Lars Kern has set many records for Porsche on Nürburgring Nordschleife© Porsche

Porsche Taycan on Nürburgring Nordschleife, 2019, top speed on Döttinger Höhe 259 km/h — 259 km/h (161 mph) is pretty good for an electric car. In real life you don’t need such speeds from a 2.3 ton family car.© Porsche

Stefan Weckbach and Lars Kern, Porsche Taycan, Nürburgring Nordschleife, 2019 — Stefan Weckbach, head of Taycan product line, and Lars Kern, one of the fastest drivers on the Nürburgring Nordschleife© Porsche

Crazy record

In 2019, a crazy demonstration was performed on the deck of the navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet – the Taycan Turbo S accelerated to 90 mph/145 km/h and braked to zero. On board of a ship!

Insane acceleration: 0-90 mph/145 km/h in just 125 meters/136 yards. Braking from 90 mph to zero took approx. 94 metres/103 yards. A car loaded with batteries is a heavy car.

The production car

The world premiere of the Taycan was held on September 4, 2019, on three continents at the same time. The unveiling took place for inivited quests in Berlin (Germany), Fuzhou (China) and Toronto (Canada).

Initially only the fastest versions were unveiled. The 0-60 mph sprint in just 2.6 seconds makes the Taycan Turbo S even quicker than the 911 991 GT2 RS which does it in 2.7 seconds (the official time for the 0-100 km/h sprint is 2.8 seconds for both).

Looking at the body shape of the Panamera and the Taycan, it makes you wonder why Porsche has created two cars that look the same, but don’t share any parts – something that would make the products more affordable or more profitable. Speaking of dimensions, the Taycan is shorter (-3.4″/86 mm), but lower (-1.8″/46 mm) and wider (+1.1″/29 mm), making it look sportier than the Panamera. Comparing the Turbo versions, the Taycan is 310 kg/683 lb heavier than the Panamera.

The 2-speed transmission installed on the rear axle is an innovation developed by Porsche. First gear gives the Taycan even more acceleration from a standing start, while second gear with a long gear ratio ensures high efficiency and high power reserves.

Speaking of motors, then the one on the rear axle of the 4S has an active length of 130 mm, while Turbo and Turbo S have a rear motor with 210 mm active length.

Battery packs

The Taycan and Taycan 4S come with the single-deck 79.2 kWh Performance battery pack as standard and are optionally available with two-deck 93.4 kWh Performance Plus battery. The latter is standard in Taycan Turbo and Turbo S. Maximum peak charging capacity with the 79 kWh battery is 225 kW and with the 93 kWh battery 270 kW. Comparing cars with 79 kWh and 93 kWh batteries, then the latter is 80 kg / 176 lb heavier. The rear motor in the top versions is also much heavier and together with added equipment, the Taycan Turbo is 85 kg/187 lb heavier than the 4S+ and 165 kg/364 lb heavier than the 4S.

If the Taycan will be your city car, go for the smaller and lighter battery. It could be seen already with the Teslas, that if you have it as a city car, the smallest battery pack is enough. Saving money is just one side, the better side is a lighter car that handles better. In the case you enjoy driving through the curves, that is.

The new Plug & Charge automatic payment system simplifies charging: just plug in the charging cable and charging is underway. The charging station automatically identifies the connected vehicle thanks to the authentication data saved in the vehicle.

Price

The price of the Porsche Taycan is very nice, it is up to 10% cheaper than the Panamera and up to 17% more affordable than the 911 (the prices of the 4S versions were used for this calculation). The Taycan is the most affordable 4-seater non-SUV Porsche after the 1991-1995 968.

Optional equipment

The optional ACC Adaptive Cruise Control includes:
* Turn Assist – monitors the traffic in the oncoming lane when turning left and can prevent a collision by warning and braking
* Auto Stop – If the vehicle detects that the driver has stopped responding, it uses visual and audible warnings, a brief tightening of the seat belt and if necessary a jolt of the brakes to attempt to prompt the driver to resume control of the vehicle. Should this be unsuccessful, after a moderate delay the vehicle will come to a halt in the lane, activate the hazard warning lights and trigger a call to the emergency services
* Additional functions if risk of collision detected: visual and audible warning, warning by active jolt of the brakes, braking force support when the driver’s emergency braking is detected, emergency brake assist, visual and audible warning and braking with detected pedestrians in the collision area.

The optional AACC Advanced Adaptive Cruise Control includes:
* Adaptive Cruise Control
* Porsche InnoDrive – offers optimum regulation of driving speed based on navigation data, radar and video sensors
* Active Lane Keeping – keeps the vehicle in the middle of the lane by continuous steering adjustments
* Emergency Steer Assist – helps the driver to steer the vehicle around an obstacle in a critical evasion manoeuvre
* Intersection Assist – warns the driver (visually, audibly and with a jolt of the brakes) if crossing or oncoming road users are overlooked at an intersection

The optional Lane Change Assist includes a function that detects if the rear-end collision situation is approaching and then warns the vehicle approaching from the rear with hazard warning lights.

Porsche Taycans at the Porsche Experience event — Taycans at the Porsche Experience event© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan 4S — Stylish groove on the roof© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan 4S front spoiler — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan front spoiler sensors — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan headlamp — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan, Mission E wheel, PCCB ceramic brake — Mission E style wheels and PCCB ceramic brakes are standard on Turbo S© Porsche

Porschr Taycan wheel with carbon fibre — 21″ aerodynamically optimised forged alloy milled wheels with carbon aeroblades. The Taycan Turbo has white brake calipers.© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan 4S standard wheel — 19″ Taycan 4S standard wheels. Interestingly, the 4S comes with red brake calipers.© Porsche

Porsche Taycan body construction materials — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan technology — 1: power electronics front and rear, 2: electric motors front and rear, 3: AC/DC charging socket, 4: AC charging socket, 5: battery, 6: 2-speed automatic transmission for the rear motor© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan 4S door open — Step in, step on and feel the blast!© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan in Gentian Blue Metallic — © Porsche

Rear-wheel-drive Porsche Taycan — Rear-wheel-drive Taycan© Porsche

“4S” is a much better supplement to the model name than “Turbo”. 4-wheel-drive and S-performance are perfectly understandable, while there are no turbochargers in electric cars making the “Taycan Turbo” model name meaningless, if not plain stupid or even a lie. And the “Turbo” name doesn’t even say the car has 4WD, which it has. Taycan is bought by new customers, they do not know that at some point 4WD became general rule for Porsche’s Turbo version cars.

2020 Porsche Taycan rear light strip — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S rear view — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan rear spoiler up — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan trunk — In addition to the 366 litres rear luggage compartment, there is a 81 litres luggage compartment at the front, too© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan 4S rear lower valance — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S diffusor in carbon fibre — The rear bumper lower part is different from non-Turbo versions© Porsche

Porsche Taycan, rear hatch open — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan panorama roof — Panorama roof makes the car heavier© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan front fender vent — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan charging socket — Home and industrial power sockets on the right side (just a home power socket on the left side)© Porsche

Porsche Taycan charging in front of the Porsche center — Taycan base version comes with lower power on-board charger© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan charging — Thanks to Porsche’s 800 V system the batteries could be charged two times faster than on the electric cars on the market before the Taycan© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S in white — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan front and rear spoiler version — Photos © Porsche, compiled by Stuttcars.com

2020 Porsche Taycan animal-free interior — Animal-free (leather-free) interior© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan interior — The optional passenger display makes the car look more 2020© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan steering wheel and instrument cluster — Driving modes Range, Normal, Sport, Sport Plus or Individual can be selected with the rotating button on the steering wheel© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan instrument cluster — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan night view assistant — Night view assistant© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan instruments — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan centre console — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan centre console touchscreen — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan climate control touchscreen — © Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan optional passenger touchscreen — Optional passenger display on the right© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan leather-free seats — No leather on this photo. Steering wheel and parts of the seats are covered with alcantara-like microfibre called Race-Tex, the rest with textile and other animal-free materials. The Taycan is the first Porsche available with the leather-free interior. Leather as a material for seats is getting more unhuman every day. Considering the residual value of the car in the future, it is wise to order it with the leather-free interior – killing animals for a seat material will be uncool in the future.© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan seat material — Innovative textile material of the leather-free interior© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan rear climate control — Rear climate controls© Porsche

Porsche Taycan rear control panel of 4-zone climate system — Rear climate control of the 4-zone climate system© Porsche

2020 Porsche Taycan low speed charger — Portable low speed charger© Porsche

Taycan production

Porsche Carrera Cup Germany safety car

Because of the coronavirus, the 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland starts in September. The first race is at Le Mans, just before the 24h race. The Carrera Cup Germany and Carrera Cup France 991 GT3 Cup 4.0 cars start together. The new safety car for the Carrera Cup is a Taycan Turbo.

Taycan Turbo, Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland safety car — © Porsche

Drifting Taycan Turbo, Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland safety car — Drifting was done just for the photo shoot, it is not done when the safety car is “at work”. Drifting in a 500 kW 4WD car is exhilarating…© Porsche

The Cross Turismo version of the Taycan was unveiled 1.5 years before the Taycan sedan, but it goes into production after the sedan.

The Porsche Taycan has been awarded with:
2019 Top Gear Car of the Year
2019 Top Gear Game Changer of the Year
2020 German Car of the Year in front of BMW 3, Mazda 3, Opel Corsa and Peugeot 208 (what?!)
2020 World Luxury Car of the Year in front of Mercedes EQC and Porsche 911 (are these really the best luxury cars in the world?)
2020 World Performance Car of the Year in front of Porsche 911 and Porsche 718 4.0. We can live with the decision that the top 3 best performance cars are Porsches, but sceptics are harder to convince.

At the time when lowering CO2 is more important than ever, the performance car of the year has to be fully electric or a hybrid. So, the Porsche Taycan really is the 2020 luxury performance car of the year.

Porsche first announced that it will invest more than six billion (6.000.000.000) euros into electromobility by 2022, but in 2020 raised the bar to 15 billion. Porsche is heading to the future at full speed.

With the Taycan you show that it is not OK to pollute our home Earth. It’s about time anyway to move away from internal combustion engines, they are history sooner than later. New generation people would not let to carry on the careless, if not insane, polluting that was looked through fingers for so long.