Porsche Debuts its More Affordable Taycan 4S Electric Sedan

author: FutureCar Staff    

The fully-electric Porsche Taycan 4S

The fully-electric Prosche Taycan was one of the most anticipated new EVs since Tesla's announced the mass-market Model 3. However, when Porsche unveiled the Taycan on Sept 4, its first electric car, the automaker showed off the more powerful more Turbo and Turbo S versions with a price tag up to $185,000, which is out of reach for most customers and nearly double the price of the Tesla Model S, the Taycan's closest competitor.

Today Porsche finally revealed the entry-level Taycan 4S for the first time, a more affordable version of the electric sports car that might become a serious rival to the Model S. Up until now, Tesla's dominance in the premium electric car space with the Model S has remained unchallenged, with no mainstream competitors since its introduction in 2012.

The Taycan 4S with the Performance Battery will start at $103,800, while the Performance Battery Plus version starts at $110,380.

Porsche says the Taycan represents a new era for the automaker and the electric sedan has the DNA of the Porsche brand and the Taycan retains the unmistakable Porsche design elements throughout.

The lower-priced Taycan model offers two battery options. A Performance battery with a total capacity of 79.2 kWh comes as standard. The Performance battery has an output of 390 kW (530 hp), while the Performance battery Plus delivers 420 kW (571 hp). Acceleration from zero to 100 km/h takes just 4.0 seconds. The top speed for both models is 155 mph. 

The driving range is up to 253 miles with the Performance battery and up to 287 miles with the Performance battery Plus in accordance with WLTP. For comparison, the standard range Tesla Model S offers a range of 285 miles. Porsche said the Taycan's aerodynamics makes a significant contribution to low energy consumption which translates into a longer range. 

The all-wheel-drive Taycan 4S has two permanently excited synchronous machines on the front and rear axles with a two-speed transmission on the rear axle. 

Porsche uses a centrally networked control system for the Taycan chassis. The integrated  Porsche 4D Chassis Control analyses all chassis systems in real time, including torque-vectoring of its all-wheel-drive powertrain. Alos standard is adaptive air suspension with electronic damper control. 

The Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) suspension system responds to changing road conditions or driving style by continuously varying the individual damping forces for each wheel. The system reduces pitch and roll while optimizing road contact for each tire.

The Taycan 4S has six-piston fixed-calliper brakes on the front axle with internally vented cast iron brake discs. Four-piston brakes are used on the rear axle. 

The Taycan is the first mainstream production EV built using an 800 volt architecture, instead of the 375 volts for the Tesla Model S. The higher system voltage allows Porsche to use thinner lighter wiring and smaller electric motors. This results in a lower system weight, less heat generation, lower manufacturing costs and quicker charging. 

The Taycan can be charged recharged for a range of up to 100 kilometres (according to WLTP) in just 5 minutes and the battery can be charged to 80 percent in about 20 minutes at a 800-volt high-power charging station.

Distinguishing features of the Taycan 4S compared with the Turbo and Turbo S include the aerodynamically optimised 19-inch Taycan S Aero wheels, as well as red-painted brake callipers. LED headlights including Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus (PDLS Plus) are equipped as standard.

Porsche offers an entirely leather-free interior for the first time on the Taycan. Interiors are made from recycled materials to fit in with the sustainable concept of the electric sports car. As standard, the Taycan 4S comes with a partial leather interior as well as front comfort seats with eight-way electrical adjustment.

Interested buyers can order the Taycan 4S immediately. The electric sedan will arrive at European dealerships in Jan 2020 and will be available at U.S. dealerships in the spring.

FutureCar Staff