Electrified at 800V provides both world class performance and efficiency. Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – November 20, 2019 2020 Porsche Taycan 4S BEV 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 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. While the WLTP range appears to be 420 km, that is just 217 miles on our own EPA. 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 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?
This is a really cool car, but rich for me, thankfully electric makes performance accessible at more price points
I wonder what the cost per mile is when it comes to utilizing the non-free 350kW charger... If I have to ask, I cannot afford it. It shouldn't bother anyone who can afford the car in the first place, though. Heck, they'll probably put police flashers on there and put it out on patrol.
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
