Motor Trend Reviews the Mission E "Taycan"

What Is It?

The Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo--now called the Taycan--was first debuted a few years back at Geneva and has been met with much anticipation by Porsche fans and EV lovers around the world. Up until recently, there has been speculation on the performance, drivetrain, and styling. Now, many of the mysteries have been uncovered thanks to the brilliant journalists at Motor Trend.

The Taycan is a sleek four-door sedan (similar in size to a Tesla Model S), will be powered by two permanently excited synchronous motors, and will be propelled by batteries only. Heiko Mayer, drive unit project leader, explained why they use this type of electric motor:“We opted for a permanently excited synchronous motor in the Taycan. They combine a high energy density with strong sustained performance and maximum efficiency.”Styling is sleek to keep the drag coefficient down and can seat four adults very comfortably. The Taycan isn't supposed to be a sports sedan but rather a city-slicker and luxurious commuter car. 

Powertrain

The Taycan will be an electric-only vehicle. No petrol power to help the batteries make their 600 horsepower. Motor Trend verified that it will have an 800-volt battery that will help it get to 60 mph in less than 3.5 seconds, get to 124 mph in less than 12, and will go 300+ mile range on a full charge. On the "right" charger, the battery can charge up to 250 miles in 15 minutes, cutting stop times into fractions of what they are with a Tesla. 

Porsche didn't want to make bigger batteries that would produce more power but instead focused on the ability for the batteries to be charged quickly since many owners of EV vehicles rarely run out of power during everyday driving. Expect bigger and more sophisticated batteries to come in the near future but as for now, the Taycan will come with one power output.  

>>Join the conversation about the Taycan and Taycan Crossover right here in Rennlist.com.

Convenience

The Taycan is focused to be the epitome of comfort. In the Porsche Lineup, it'll be the comfiest and most relaxing model due to its hushed ride. The trunk is a hatchback so loading and unloading large items is easy as well as having a front trunk which can store even more items. It puts the power down through all four wheels so it can be driven in any weather. Also, (in Europe) Porsche is teaming up with fellow car manufacturers: BMW, VW, Audi, and Daimler to build over 400 quick charging ports around the continent allowing for quick and easy charging. Expect more EV infrastructure upgrades to come to America as well.

>>Join the conversation about the Taycan and Taycan Crossover right here in Rennlist.com.

Release

The Taycan will hit showrooms around the world in 2019. No one knows when exactly. The technology is still being refined and the styling may have to be fiddled with a bit to pass legal codes for road cars.

With this model, Porsche is opening up a whole new door into the EV world. Much more of its models will soon be electrified and many may become full EV not before long. 911 purists may have a tough time coming to grips with a hybrid 911 variant but it is something everyone will have to accept in time. The Panamera, Cayenne, and 918 are all models that are out now which use hybridization. No one bats an eye at any of those and neither will they to a fleet of EV's in the near future.

>>Join the conversation about the Taycan and Taycan Crossover right here in Rennlist.com.

Will you be buying one?

Since Porsche is spending all this money for Research and Development to build these high-tech machines, you can expect its sister companies to have similar models down the line (VW, Lamborghini, and others). The future is bright and coming in hot!

>>Join the conversation about the Taycan and Taycan Crossover right here in Rennlist.com.

For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section in the forum.