Electric avenue: Porsche Taycan adds even more tech to rival Tesla

The Porsche Taycan could be the most important German car of the decade.

For an industry which dominates the global automotive technology trendline, German engineers have been found wanting for the last few years, with regards to countering Tesla.

The Californian electric vehicle company has delivered a range of battery-powered cars and SUVs which offer incredible performance, producing the calibre of numbers to trouble a brand like Porsche.

Porsche Taycan: Delivering on expectations

With Tesla pricing its vehicles at a premium, Porsche has realised that it can no longer afford to be complacent. An electric Porsche had to happen – and it had to be very good, first time round.

The market would judge Porsche harshly if its debut electric vehicle underwhelmed in any area. Expectations were massive, creating notable pressure on the design and engineering team.

Battery vehicle technology moves at a rapid pace and Porsche were at risk of delivering a car to market, which could quickly be out of date. When the Taycan made its international debut in late 2019, the verdict was unanimous: Porsche had produces something extraordinary.

Image: Supplied

MAKING A FAST CAR EVEN FASTER

With dual electric motors capable of up to 560kW on overboost, the Taycan is prodigiously quick, running 0-100km/h in only 2.8 seconds. It is more than a match for any Tesla, in terms of performance and offers a purer driving experience.

Aware how quickly things can change in the battery car realm, Porsche is not resting on the achievement of its Taycan. The company has now revealed an update for its Taycan Turbo S.

Porsche will now offer the following 2021 model year — updated — for existing Taycan owners. An improvement of the car’s launch control function benefits performance, allowing the battery Porsche to run 0-200km/h in only 9.6 seconds, which is two-tenths swifter than before.

Smart tech

Tesla showed the way with its over the air (OTA) software updates. This enables Tesla customers to immediately benefit from any incremental performance gain, developed and validated, by the company’s engineers.

Instead of having to go into a dealership and have mechanics work on your car and upgrade its “firmware”, with a Tesla, it is as simple as your latest smartphone software download. Porsche is offering something similar with an “options on demand” feature and for the 2021 model year Taycan, that includes various subscription upgrades.

One of these includes a Smartlift function for Taycans with air-suspension fitted. Not only does it give you a trick to get up steep incline driveways and speed bumps, but the Smartlift function is also active at speed, balancing the car’s aerodynamics.