Porsche’s first ever electric vehicle gets an update

The 2021 Porsche Taycan gets an upgrade in technology. Photo: Porsche

Porsche is taking the fast lane with its first electric vehicle, the stylish Taycan sedan, and has revealed updates for the 2021 year.

The Taycan S can now hit 200km/h 0.2 of a second faster if launch control is engaged. The standing quarter mile now drops 0.1 second lower to 10.7 seconds.

The Taycan also introduces Porsche’s “Functions on Demand” in Germany. This concept allows owners to try out features monthly or buy them for a one off fee. These include Lane Assist, Porsche Intelligent Range Manager and Power Steering Plus.

The Taycan gains an optional 22kW on-board charger that cuts charging time to half compared to the 11kW version. It also gets a Smartlift function, provided the adaptive suspension option is ticked that allows the driver to preset when the front axle lift system automatically kicks in. This adjusts the vehicle's height while driving to keep the balance between efficiency and comfort.

A coloured heads-up display can now be optioned which shows the navigation display, power meter and additional choices set by the driver. The Taycan also gets a standard digital radio. 

New colours are also available including Ice Grey Metallic, Coffee Beige Metallic, Mahogany Metallic, Chalk, Neptune Blue, Cherry Metallic and Frozenberry Metallic. All Taycan derivatives also get access to an optional Carbon Sport Design package.

Kiwi customers of the Taycan can expect deliveries in the fourth quarter of this year.

The Taycan 4S is priced in New Zealand from $203,900, the Taycan Turbo ($289,900) and the Turbo S from $366,900.

The Taycan 4S produces up to 390kW of power and 640Nm of torque, performance output coupled with a two-speed transmission and powered by an 79.2kWh Performance Battery.

The Taycan 4S accelerates from a standing start to 100 km/h in 4.0 seconds and has a top speed of 250km/h. The range is 365km when the battery is fully charged.

The Performance Battery Plus package on the Taycan 4S is available as an option. It increases battery capacity to 93.4kWh resulting in a notable performance increase of up to 420kW of power and 650Nm of torque, as well as an increased range of 414 km when the battery is fully charged.

The Taycan Turbo generates up to 500kW of overboost power in combination with Launch Control and accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds with a range of 420 km when the battery is fully charged and a top speed of 260km/h.