Meet the All-new, All-electric 2020 Porsche Taycan 4S

Electrified at 800V provides both world class performance and efficiency.

Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – November 20, 2019

2020 Porsche Taycan 4S BEV

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Los Angeles, CA –- As Press Days come to a close, the all-electric, 4-door, Porsche Taycan 4S US premiere is now history. What was introduced was performance curb appeal that nobody can touch plus an entire book of options for owner customization.

The all-electric Porsche Taycan 4S is available with two battery sizes: The World spec Performance Battery and a U.S. spec Performance Battery Plus delivering up to 562 hp for short periods. From the Porsche U.S. order page, only the Performance Battery Plus (+$6,580) along with a Level1/2 charging cable (+1,120) and Panoramic Roof (+$1,490) are included as a forced option with a starting price $112,990 + $1,350 D&H.

The 2020 Porsche Taycan 4S is the speed brands modern day beginning for its soon to be expanding all-electric line-up.

Remember it was the 1898 Porsche P1 designed by Ferdinand Porsche himself that is considered to be the first vehicle design for the soon to be Porsche brand over 120 years ago. The P1 was actually created for another auto maker and resembles an electrified horse-drawn carriage. Equipped with a 3 hp electric motor with an overboost function providing up to 5 hp for a very short period of time. Its power was directed through a 12-speed transmission with six dedicated forward gears, two reverse, and four to brake, it had a top speed of 21 mph while in its overboost/overcharged mode and a total all-electric range of approximately 49 miles.

On September 28, 1899, Ferdinand Porsche entered the Berlin road race with the P1, where it won the gold medal and crossed the finish line 18 minutes before the next car. During that race, it came out on top with another accolade. That being the lowest energy consumption vehicle entered in urban traffic.

1898 Porsche P1

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Back to the present, the 2020 Porsche Taycan 4S with the two-layer 93.4 kWh Performance Battery Plus onboard with an 800V output provides a 0 to 60 time of 3.8 seconds. Thanks in part to a single-Speed Transmission up front and 2-Speed Transmission out back plus an incredibly low Cd of 0.22, the Taycan 4S has a top speed of 155 mph.

Underneath. The Taycan 4S features adaptive air suspension including an electronic damper standard. It is also equipped with red-painted six-piston aluminum monobloc fixed-caliper brakes at the front and four-piston aluminum calipers at the rear. The internally vented cast iron brake discs have a diameter of 360 mm at the front and 358 mm at the rear.

Maximum charging power (peak) is 270 kW so the 350 Electrify America’s 350 kW chargers will garner some work for Taycan 4S owners crossing large swaths of the country. Placing that level of charging into perspective, the Taycan 4S with a starting SoC of just 5 percent – essentially flat, can achieve more than 80 miles of range in just 5-minutes on a 350 kW DC CCS charger. New owners can access that high-speed DC CCS charging network for 30-minutes for free during their first 3 years of ownership. On a 350 kW Electrify America charger, that should allow the 93.4 kWh gross – ~ 83kWh usable – traction battery from flat to full. I like that spec.

The WLTP range appears to be 420 km which is ~ 210 miles on our own EPA from the 83 kWh usable pack.

The cockpit with a free-standing, curved instrument cluster, central 10.9” infotainment display, and optional passenger display are combined to form a unique driver and passenger experience.

2020 Porsche Taycan 4S Early Conclusions

A lot to like here. That 0.22 Cd is the smoothest aero offering of any modern day anything. The 800V output to the front and rear axles, 2-speed rear AT, and Porsche’s standard curb appeal and world class road holding make it a sight to behold.

2020 Porsche Taycan 4S

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Like the Audi e-tron Sportback however, its all-electric range and straight-line performance numbers needs work as its chief competitor with its own performance moniker attached provides a 0 to 60 time of just 2.4 seconds and same top speed while providing owners and an all-electric range of 345-miles. Charging on the competitors proprietary 250 kW V3 DC chargers provides 75-miles in 5-minutes and 180-miles in 15.

Something else that is inherent in all Porsches is the options list. Consider the Taycan 4S pricing detail.

• ParkAssist (Front and Rear) incl. Surround View - $1,200
• Porsche InnoDrive incl. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) - $3,610
• Night Vision Assist - $2,420
• Lane Change Assist (LCA) - $950
• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) - $2,050

$2k for RCC? That comes standard on every Prius...

In any case, it looks faster than any all-electric competitor before moving and it will surely walk all over them on a tight and twisty track. Will the entire experience be as good for your daily commute is a question yet to be answered?

 

Hi Bill:

It is not pretty at $0.89/min for 125 kW + on the Electrify America Network but let us consider three case studies, two on the Electrify America network and a premiere hybrid from the pump...

1. 2019 Audi e-tron SUV: If you can pull 120 kW from flat to full from a 350-kW station - that last 40 percent slows significantly, maybe 2 kW/min or $0.45/kWh to charge an Audi e-tron SUV. It would consume about 42 kWh to cover 100-miles and cost about $19.00 to cover those same 100 miles on the Electrify America charging network.

2. A 2020 Prius costs an average driver about $6/100 miles at $3.50/gal out here in Southern California.

3. 2020 Porsche Taycan 4S should be able to consume about 225 kW with its 270-kW charging spec from start at flat to finish at full in about 25-minutes. In this vehicles case, 25-minutes would cost $22.25 for its full 230-miles of range or about $9.66 to cover 100-miles. That is not too bad for driving a super car actually! Not to mention the Porsche receives 3-years of free High Speed Charging which would make it very desirable for long distance jaunts out of the owners home area.

Wayne

 

Hi All:

With the recent range uprate for the 2020 Audi e-tron SUV in Europe which will hopefully show up here on the new 2020 in just weeks, I wonder if Porsche will receive some of the same upgrades on the Taycan 4S before it is even released? If so, its approximately 216 miles of range could be 225+ before years end?

Wayne

 

Hi All:

This one went from 155 mph to 0 in one heck of a hurry.

2020 Porsche Taycan 4S vs Tesla Model S Performance


201-miles vs 348-miles of all-electric range.​

How does Tesla do it? I am not much of a betting man but if I were, I would be loading up on Tesla stock as they are beating everybody by more than just a few points on the board despite the sometimes poor quality vehicle build experience.

Wayne

 

Hi Trollbait:

Even Permanent Magnet synchronous motors would not reduce efficiency by 50 percent vs the Tesla Model S' early induction motors? These new motors have increased efficiency by 10 percent over the previous straight up induction motors.

It is the Model 3 and now the latest Model S and X that have now all received the all-new Permanent magnet synchronous reluctance motors (PMSRM). Yes, that includes Permanent Magnets.

The dual-motor Model 3 incorporates the high torque induction motor in the front and the highly efficient permanent magnet synchronous reluctance motor out back whereas the S and X use the high launch power of a std. induction motor out back and the more efficient PMSRM up front.

Wayne

 

Canadian Porsche Taycan 4S Owners: Free Level3 DC Charging for 3-years

Essentially no electricity costs for 3-years if you charge at one of the 32 350 kW charging stations located across Canada.

Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – December 13, 2019

2020 Porsche Taycan 4S

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Porsche Canada just announced they are following their U.S. counterparts lead as an agreement with Electrify Canada will allow owners of the first all-electric Porsche Taycan 4S with three years of free charging at Electrify Canada public charging stations across the country. This charging benefit is included in the price of the Taycan, which starts at $119,400 for the Taycan 4S, $173,900 for the Taycan Turbo, and $213,900 for the Taycan Turbo S.

Electrify Canada and many Canadian Porsche dealers will offer DC fast charging at levels of power up to 350 kWs. The Taycan’s maximum charging power (peak) is 270 kW. Using 800- volt technology, it will be able to recharge from five to 80 percent SoC in 22.5 minutes – the fastest in today’s automotive market.

Taycan customers will receive three years of complimentary 30-minute charging at Electrify Canada locations, subject to certain terms and conditions. The nationwide ultra-fast charging network will see the opening of 32 stations through 2020. These will be spaced along multiple routes on or near key highways and in major metro areas in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. Each location will have an average of four charging dispensers with a minimum of one 350 kW charger per site, with additional chargers delivering up to 150kW.

New charging options for the Taycan will include a Porsche-designed home charging system. Details of the system and installation options will follow soon.

 

Hi Trollbait:

Good catch!

Porsche had one of their outside agency's do their own "testing" and it came in at 260 to 270 miles IIRC? We all know how that worked however. The EPA range was submitted by Porsche to the EPA, not an outside anybody.

Wayne

 

Hi Trollbait:

Porsche performed the testing necessary for the best results. Running a 5-cycle vs the 2-cycle in the environmentally controlled Dyno test cell is just a few more days of work. Nobody but nobody certifies to a 2-test because they are less expensive. We are talking Porsche, a big money OEM within the VW Group, not a fly-by-night EV builder.

I actually feel terrible that the Taycan 4S program missed targets so handily. It looks great and has decent performance specs but 201-miles of range makes it a 100 units per month like seller early on and falling precipitously soon afterwards, not a 500 to 1,000 or more unit seller that is would have been with a 280 to 320 mile AER.

Wayne