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Porsche's first Super Bowl ad in 23 years is for the electric Taycan
There have been Super Bowl ads for electric cars before, but they've tended to treat EVs as novelties. BMW's 2015 ad for the i3 was practically a crash course in EVs, while Audi's 2019 spot was more to advertise electrification than the still-unavailable E-Tron GT. Porsche, however, is embracing the radical concept of advertising an EV you can actually buy. The automaker is airing its first Super Bowl ad in 23 years on February 2nd to promote the Taycan, and this video focuses more on -- gasp -- the actual car.
EPA estimates Porsche Taycan Turbo S range at just 192 miles
You'd think that splashing out for the Porsche Taycan Turbo S would deliver some extra range in addition to the improved acceleration (as you get with rivals like Tesla), but that's apparently not the case. The EPA has rated the top-spec model's range at just 192 miles -- that's less than the already modest 201 miles of the regular Turbo. Given that the Turbo S currently starts at $188,960 after delivery and handling fees, you're not getting much longevity for the money.
Porsche dreams up a Star Wars ship inspired by its Taycan EV
Here's a Star Wars marketing tie-up you may not have seen coming: Porsche has teamed with Lucasfilm to create a fantasy spaceship based on the Taycan EV. While the "Tri-Wing S-91x Pegasus Starfighter" won't appear in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker next week, it will be presented as a five foot scale model at the film's LA premiere, Porsche said.
Tesla Model X and Porsche Taycan score 5-star rating in EU safety test
If safety ratings are a major criteria for you when it comes to choosing a car, your best bet is probably an EV. Tesla's Model X has just received a 5-star safety rating from the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), building on its existing credentials from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Porsche Taycan -- one of Tesla's biggest rival models -- also achieved a five-star rating.
Porsche’s Taycan lives up to its EV hype
Driving a Porsche -- regardless of its body style -- is filled with expectations. The vehicle should go fast while whipping around corners. So it's no surprise that the automaker's electric Taycan (pronounced Tie Khan) offers those things. The revelation is that it does so, even with the heft of a 93.4kWh battery pack.
Porsche's Macan EV will fully replace its gas counterpart in a few years
Porsche's electric Macan won't give its combustion engine counterpart much room to breathe. The automaker's deputy chairman Lutz Meschke told Autocar in an interview that the Macan EV will sit alongside the gas version when it arrives in 2021, but only for a "couple of years." After that, you'll have to buy the electric model if you want Porsche's take on a compact SUV. While he wasn't too specific about the reasons for the strategy, he noted that the transition will likely be "different by region" given the varying progress on EV infrastructure.
Hennessey Performance's first EV mods will go on the Porsche Taycan
We've been waiting years for tuner culture to catch up with electric vehicles, and now Hennessey Performance Engineering is promising to get in the game, starting with the Porsche Taycan. According to its founder and CEO John Hennessey, the company will start with "simple modifications such as wheels, tires and interior upgrades as well as exterior modifications such as more aggressive front and rear bumpers." Coming more than five years after Saleen showed off a hot-rod Model S P85 called the Four Sixteen -- with some tweaks that are similar to changes Tesla itself made later on -- all we can say is that it's about time. Other tweaked EVs have included the Nismo Leaf RC and this function-over-form battery status monitor.
Intrigue at the Nurburgring as Tesla unofficially beats Porsche's fastest lap
When Porsche beat the Nurburgring lap record for a four-door EV, it was sending a message to rival Tesla: "Hey, 2-second 0-60mph acceleration times are cool, but how long can your brakes, motor, tires and batteries last?" Tesla boss Elon Musk got the message loud and clear, and as it goes with him, he wasn't willing to let it go. Now, it appears that a Tesla Model S has bested the Taycan Turbo's 7 minute, 42 second time by 19 seconds (unofficially).
The Taycan EV takes Porsche into a new world of technology
We're sideways. Again. After a blistering takeoff that pushed my internal organs towards my spine, the driver behind the wheel of the pre-production Porsche Taycan (pronounced "tie khan") turns off the traction control and the vehicle does something other EVs don't. It becomes a full-fledged sports car, its tires spinning on the edge -- and spilling over -- the traction event-horizon. We're drifting and the driver -- that also happens to be one of the regenerative braking engineers -- tells me about how the Taycan recuperates energy back into the battery. Meanwhile, I'm smiling because a proper electric sports car is coming to market from a company with a history defined by fast cars.
Porsche unveils production version of its Taycan electric sports car
After a plethora of teases and an almost daily barrage of videos and image of the vehicle, the final production version of the all-electric Porsche Taycan has been revealed. The first pure EV from the German automaker comes in two variants (Turbo and Turbo S) and starts at $150,000 (or $153,000 if you put a deposit down for the launch edition) and will start being delivered by the end of the year.
Porsche Taycan sets four-door EV speed record at the Nürburgring
Porsche really, really wants to convince you that the Taycan will outperform Tesla's cars in the right circumstances. The automaker reported that its pre-production EV set a (rather specific) lap record for four-door, all-electric cars on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, completing its 12.8-mile run of the legendary circuit in seven minutes and 42 seconds. It unsurprisingly credits not just the top speed and acceleration of the car, but also the longevity of its electric powertrain. Unlike some EVs, the Taycan has both an 800-volt system (instead of the usual 400V) and a cooling system that can sustain performance for long periods.
Porsche streamlines the Taycan EV’s infotainment system
The all-electric Porsche Taycan is the first in a line of electric vehicles from the performance brand. And while it's running on electrons instead of dead dinosaurs, the automaker is determined to make sure that the vehicle is still an experience that focuses on driving first and foremost.
Porsche Taycan test drive shows the EV's repeatable launch control
You'll have to wait to September for the Porsche Taycan's official unveiling, but the automaker is at least ready to answer one burning question: how well would the EV fare in a drag race? Quite well, apparently. Fully Charged has scored the first test drive of the Taycan for a non-Porsche driver, blasting the electric supercar through a runway demo of its launch control mode. It's quick, reaching around 225km/h (about 140mph) before needing to slow down as the end of the tarmac appeared. The claimed 0-62MPH time of 3.5 seconds may be very conservative. However, the real allure is how often you can invoke the launch mode -- it's not just a party trick.
Porsche's Taycan EV has pulled in more than 20,000 deposits
Looks like Porsche has drummed up massive interest for its Tesla rival, because the automaker has revealed that it received 20,000 reservations for its upcoming Taycan electric vehicle. The company also confirmed previous reports that it's increasing the planned production capacity. While it didn't mention a particular number, it told CNBC in January that it's doubling production from 20,000 vehicles to 40,000. Now, we know why.
Porsche Taycan owners will get three years of free charging
Porsche announced today that owners of its upcoming electric vehicle, the Taycan, will get three years of free charging at Electrify America charging stations across the United States. The promotion will provide an unlimited number of 30-minute long charges. Electrify America operates more than 300 highway charging stations in 42 states and 184 stations in 17 metro areas across the country.
Porsche claims its EV factory will be as green as the cars it builds
Porsche wants production for the Taycan to be as ecologically responsible as the electric car itself. The automaker has revealed that the Taycan factory under construction at Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen will use nitrogen oxide-absorbing facades on some parts of the building, reducing the plant's pollution. The surfaces are relatively simple constructions made from aluminum coated in titanium dioxide, but the results so far appear to be strong. In a test on a 126 square meter (roughly 1,356 square feet) area, it absorbed nitrogen oxide as well as ten trees.
Porsche's most premium EV will cost over $130,000
Porsche's Taycan will apparently come in three variants -- and the top-of-the-line model will set you back as much as $130,000. The automaker opened a deposit option program for its first all-electric vehicle, formerly known as Mission E, in mid-2018. After The Drive editor-at-large Alex Roy signed up to place a deposit, a local brand ambassador told him in an email that Porsche will build three models, namely a base Taycan, a four-wheel drive model called the Taycan 4s and its most premium one called the Taycan Turbo.
Porsche unveils fast, low-cost 'pit stop' EV charging stations
Fast charging stations promise to end the long wait to top up electric cars, but the technology is expensive, bulky and a little intimidating. Thankfully, Porsche might have solved all three problems in one go. It just unveiled an "electric pit stop" whose design promises to make the company's 800V charging more accessible. Rather than load everything a charging station needs into a single cabinet, Porsche splits things into modular "FlexBoxes" that can offload some of the work and stay far from the customer -- you might only see the charging pole itself.
Porsche teases its production electric Mission E, aka the Taycan
Porsche has made no secret of its plans to take on Tesla with its Mission E sports car -- now known as the Taycan -- and after a lot of hype about its proposed specs, we're now a step closer to knowing what it's actually going to look like. Kind of.
