Porsche adds new entry-level Taycan with two battery options

Storied German automaker Porsche has announced plans to extend the all-electric Taycan model range with the introduction of a rear-wheel-drive variant with two battery size options.

The introduction of a fourth Taycan variant – alongside the Taycan Turbo S, Taycan Turbo and Taycan 4S – further serves to highlight the success of Porsche’s all-electric Taycan and the demand for more all-electric options. According to Porsche, the company delivered just over 20,000 all-electric Taycans to customers worldwide in 2020, demonstrating the vehicle’s popularity.

In fact, in Norway, the Porsche Taycan currently accounts for 70% of all Porsche models sold and, at the start of November, the company delivered the 1000th Taycan in the Scandinavian country.

The new rear-wheel-drive Taycan enters the market with two battery options. The standard Performance Battery will deliver nominal power of 240kW and up to 300kW in over-boost mode with Launch Control. The optional Performance Battery Plus will deliver nominal power of 280kW and up to 350kW.

The Performance Battery, fitted as standard, boasts a gross capacity of 79.2kWh, while the two-deck Performance Battery Plus is available as an option and has a gross capacity of 93.4kWh.

Vehicle range with each battery is up to 431-kilometres with the Performance Battery, and up to 484-kilometres with the Performance Battery Plus.

The new Taycan will also arrive with new features introduced in previous Taycan models at the model year changeover, including the company’s Plug & Charge function, which enables convenient charging and payments without the need for cards or an app.

And, following in the wake of its predecessors, equipment including a colour head-up display and an on-board charger with a charging capacity of up to 22 kW will be optional.

Unlike its predecessors, the new rear-wheel-drive Porsche will only come with one permanently excited synchronous motor on the rear axle, expected to make the car much less powerful. However, it will also make the car lighter.

Able to accelerate from a standing start to 100km/h in only 5.4-seconds regardless of which battery is installed, the new Taycan will reach a top speed of 230km/h in both configurations. The maximum charging capacity is up to 225kW on the smaller battery and up to 270kW with the larger.

For comparison, acceleration from 0 to 100km/h on the Taycan 4S measures in at 4 seconds flat, with a top speed of 250km/h and a max output of 390kW on overboost with launch control.

The Taycan Turbo notches this up to acceleration of 3.2 seconds and a max speed of 260km/h with max output of 500kW, while the Taycan Turbo S pushes things even further, with acceleration of 2.8 seconds, top speed of 260km/h and max output of 560kW.

Expected to begin delivery to dealerships from the middle of March, the new Taycan is will head to Europe and the United States first, with plans for a launch in Australia unknown at this point.

Nevertheless, reports suggest that the price for the new rear-wheel drive Taycan will drop significantly thanks to the single motor, with various outlets reporting a price drop of $US20,000 on the Taycan 4S, with the base model reportedly set to come in at $US79,000.

Again, for comparison, the 4S starts at $US103,800, the Turbo at $US150,900 and the Turbo S at $US185,000