By Tesla is a dominator when it comes to the new-gen all-electric vehicles. But with the new green deals being executed in various parts of the world, some of the companies are starting to step up. And yes, the German automobile manufacturer, Porsche has its own first electric sedan ready to go head-to-head with Elon Musk’s Tesla.
The long-awaited German car, Porsche Taycan, was unveiled on Wednesday at a world premiere that happened simultaneously at three places. This is at the Niagara Falls in Canada (representing hydropower), a solar energy farm near Berlin and at a wind farm in China.
The all-electric vehicle that had been introduced first in 2015 as the Mission E will be released late this year in two models; Taycan Turbo and the Taycan Turbo S. In the reveal, the company seemed really confident to take on the Tesla Model S car with promises of bringing in less powerful electric vehicles to fill in to the new family by the end of the year. 2020 will then see an electric wagon, Taycan Cross Turismo to add on to the collection.
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To excite us some more, the executives showed off the high-powered capabilities of the car at the world premiere. This came with claims of the Porsche Taycan recuperating power at a higher rate than its rivals ( sorry, Tesla). The luxury sedan is expected to cover about 450km on a single charge with the S model about 415 km (which we don’t get).
Image: Porsche
Inspired By Tesla?
Moreover, the Turbo S goes from 0-96 km/h in 2.6 seconds with the regular model taking 3 seconds. Both versions have a maximum speed of about 259 km/h with the front and rear electric motors making them 4-wheel drives.
The interior has been set to be to the minimum with a central screen of 10.9 inches for the Turbo and 17 inches for the Turbo S. Instead of pressing buttons all over, you can just say “Hey, Porsche” to awake the voice assistant. This will also include a built-in Apple Music. Anyone that wants a passenger screen will have to part with Ksh,100,000-plus.
Image: Auto Express
Better Than Tesla Model S?
Compared to Tesla’s luxury Sedan, Taycan’s will start selling at a surprising $150,900 (about Kes.15.6m) with the Turbo S version going for $185,500 (about Kes.19.2m). And with the price expected to go up later on, it would seem hard to choose it over the $79,990(about Kes.8.3m) Model S. This is considering its performance version that starts at $99,990(Kes.10.3m).
And while that doesn’t seem cheap, Model S even offers a bigger battery that runs up to 595 km or so. More to this, a survey done this week by Autolist showed 45% of the shoppers choose the Model S with 33% preferring the Taycan Turbo.
Tesla Model S. Image: Tesla
And even though the Taycan had 30,000 pre-orders by the end of July, don’t forget the strong reputation that Tesla still holds in this field. But let’s not imply anything since the sales after release could shock everyone.
The charging aspect is till something Porsche is working on after a deal with a charging network for the US consumers, but that is just the start.
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