Porsche unveils its first Tesla competitor

The first electric Porsche sedan is here and ready to take on Tesla’s Model S — for a price.

To make a point about the long-awaited German car’s sustainability, the Taycan was unveiled simultaneously on Wednesday at Niagara Falls in Canada (representing hydropower), at a solar farm near Berlin, and at a wind farm in China. The all-electric car was first introduced in 2015 as the Mission E. It’ll be available by the end of this year as the Taycan Turbo and higher-performing Taycan Turbo S. 

Porsche promises less powerful (hopefully that means less pricey) electric vehicles are coming later this year. Next year, the electric wagon Taycan Cross Turismo will arrive to fill out the “e-family.”

But at the Taycan world premiere, Porsche executives showed off the high-powered capabilities of its first all-electric vehicle. The four-door luxury sedan is expected to get about 280 miles of range on a charge with the S and about 260 miles on the other. It can charge up to 80 percent full in 22.5 minutes with its 800-volt battery.

The Taycan Turbo S can go from zero to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds while the “regular” version takes 3 seconds. Both cars have a max speed of 161 mph. Front and rear electric motors make both vehicles all-wheel drive. Porsche also claims it can recuperate power at a higher rate than its competitors (ahem, Tesla).

Inside, a central touch screen is 10.9 inches — it’s not quite the Tesla Model S 17-inch screen, but it’s a toned-down interior for the sports-car maker used to buttons, switches, and other controls. Instead of you having to push things, a voice assistant responds to, “Hey, Porsche,” and Apple Music is built directly into the car. A second screen for the passenger is available another $1,000-plus.

Comparing the vehicle to Tesla’s luxury sedan, it’s the starting price that comes off as the most alarming. The base price is $150,900 ($185,000 for the Turbo S version) for reserved cars. The price goes up when the car is available later this year. The Tesla Model S starts at $79,990 and its performance version starts at $99,990. Not cheap, but the Tesla brings a significantly lower price point and includes more range: up to 370 miles. 

Used car site Autolist ran a survey this week to see if 1,500 car shoppers were swayed away from Tesla’s comparable Model S. Not at all: Tesla crushed the not-yet-available Taycan with 45 percent of respondents choosing the Model S compared to 33 percent for Porsche. At the end of July, a reported 30,000 Taycan pre-orders were in, but Tesla still has a stronger reputation for electric.

There’s also the Supercharger network that gives Tesla owners a significant advantage when charging away from home — and not at a snail’s pace — with fast charging taking about 30 minutes. In Autolist’s survey, 24 percent of shoppers cited the charging network as a top reason to choose Tesla over Porsche. 

Where’s the Porsche-only charging system across North America, Europe, China, and beyond? The company has partnered with the Electrify America charging network and will offer charging at Porsche dealerships, but that’s only a start.