The Porsche Taycan might not be the cheapest EV on the market, but owning the best comes at a price. With its clean aesthetics, clinically insane performance, and a Porsche crest at your heel, it’ll be hard to show off your electric sports car to those you quickly pass by.
Porsche is not just any dated legacy automaker, they’re one built on an exceptional and accomplished racing heritage. With pricing ranging from a mere $103,800 all the way up to $241,500, you’d expect one of the best road honchos available today, and Porsche rightfully gave us just that. The Porsche Taycan Turbo S has a top speed of 161 mph and a 0-60 of 2.6 seconds.
A 0-60 of 2.6 seconds isn’t just slightly impressive, it makes the Porsche Taycan the fastest accelerating Porsche available today. You heard that right, Porsche made their best car an electric car, which leads to my primary point—Porsche is taking this transition seriously.
Anyone can make a dumpster fire of an electric car to show how “hip” they are with the kids. Anyone can make concept cars that will never see the light of day. Anyone can make low volume compliance cars in order to meet regulations, and most do. This isn’t any of that. This is an acceptance and commitment towards our sustainable future with Porsche now catering to customer demands, wants, and needs. The electric car revolution has begun and without automakers like Porsche taking things seriously, it would get nowhere.
This isn’t just praise given for a poor attempt or another participation award, the Porsche Taycan is actually an incredible machine. This electric sports car was designed from the ground up. The company thought about it all through development. Rather than sell this as a daily driver, they stuck to what they know best and built a performance vehicle.
Leading up to the unveiling, they stressed this further by putting the car through a rigorous 24-hour endurance run aimed at showcasing performance and consistency. The car maintained speeds from 121-133 mph (195-215 kph) for a total of 2,128 miles (3,425 km). Absolutely no other electric car can accomplish this today. Most, Tesla included, will overheat with time. Just the miles themselves are impressive—2,128 miles driven in just 24-hours in an electric car! This is in part thanks to Porsche’s industry leading 350 kW, 800-volt, chargers.
Sure, the Taycan’s overall range of 201 miles might be a bit disappointing, but it doesn’t need any more. When was the last time you took a road trip in a sports car? This isn’t a daily driver, it’s a weekend warrior, and Porsche knew that through development. Instead of focusing on figures that would only impress soccer moms, they focused on the track and die-hard drivers. So much so that it set the new standard for electric sports cars as a whole.
When I saw the 2008 Tesla Roadster over a decade ago, I fell in love. As a fan of the future, I was sold in seconds. It became the dream car of many and when Tesla released the Model S in 2012, that, too, was right up there. Tesla’s success didn’t come from building the best car on the market, it came from building dream cars. The Porsche Taycan has taken the helm and will be the childhood poster car of the next decade.
If you need a fun car to dominate both the streets and the track, the Porsche Taycan is the best electric car available today. The Taycan is so ahead that Tesla had to add a third motor and a whole new chassis in order to compete. That car is not yet available, but when it is, only one of the two will hold that Porsche crest and luxury status.