Porsche's 800-Volt Gamechanger

Porsche’s Experience Centre in Levi, Finland is usually open to customers who want to finesse their driving skills on low friction surfaces but for one month of the year it became the exclusive venue for the launch of the Porsche Taycan 4S. Not only did it prove Porsche’s technology in unforgiving conditions but we’d be lying if we said we didn’t have a lot of fun in the process. And at the end of it all, Porsche’s first EV felt like it had treaded very lightly on the undisturbed landscape.

The Taycan is Porsche’s first fully-electric sportscar and goes one step further than the company’s myriad hybrid models. From the ground up it’s entirely new and is a crucial piece of a longterm vision towards emission-free motoring. This is just the tip of the non-melting iceberg for Porshce, with an all-electric Porsche Macan set to follow next.

For the moment the range spans three derivatives, each with a measured increase in performance and standard specification. But as Objekt Magazine learned on the international launch of the entry-level Taycan 4S, there’s no shortage of desirability or speed in this package – as you would expect from the marque. Taycan 4S is equally important to Porsche’s EV assault by bridging value, brand cachet, range and performance in one zero-emission footprint. Little-known secret, with the right guidance and deep breathing through the online configurator you can spec your Porsche Taycan 4S within a few technological whiskers of the Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S.

When it arrives in South Africa in 2020 the aerodynamically efficient low-slung, shallow-nosed four-door sportscar will cause a stir because while it’s not the first EV to be sold here, it is the first with such a broad performance remit, not to mention the expectation it will need to meet in order to convert loyal Porsche customers.

As expected of Porsche, it will achieve this through innovation.

Bear with us as we loosen our tongue around some new EV terminology. The Porsche Taycan, irrespective of model, is powered by a bespoke 800v architecture which is double the industry norm and results in thinner cabling, less weight, infallible launch control and a wide band of charging options up to 270kW. The Porsche Taycan is also the first mainstream EV to pack a 2speed gearbox, thereby giving it a 250kph top speed without hampering acceleration.