Porsche

Taycan Turbo S

Porsche Taycan Turbo S: The Electric Benchmark

When Porsche announced they were building a fully electric vehicle, the automotive world held its breath. Porsche’s entire identity was forged on the mechanical scream of the flat-six engine and the lightweight agility of the 911. How could a massive, heavy, silent battery-powered sedan possibly live up to the crest on its hood?

The answer arrived in 2019 with the Porsche Taycan (originally previewed by the Mission E concept). It was not just a good electric car; it was a phenomenal Porsche.

And at the absolute top of the hierarchy sits the Taycan Turbo S. (Yes, Porsche retained the “Turbo” nomenclature despite the obvious lack of forced induction, using it instead to denote the highest performance tier). The Turbo S proved that an EV could possess genuine soul, communicative steering, and handling dynamics that seemingly defied the laws of physics.

The Powertrain: 800-Volt Architecture

The core of the Taycan’s technological superiority lies in its electrical architecture. While almost every other EV on the market at the time utilized a 400-volt system, Porsche engineered the Taycan around an 800-volt system.

This higher voltage allowed Porsche to use thinner, lighter wiring throughout the vehicle, saving weight and reducing heat buildup. More importantly, it allowed for incredibly fast charging times—capable of adding 100 km of range in just five minutes under ideal conditions at a high-power DC fast charger.

The Turbo S is powered by two massive permanent-magnet synchronous motors (one on the front axle, one on the rear). During normal driving, the car produces 625 PS. However, when Launch Control is engaged, the “Overboost” function unleashes the full potential of the battery, resulting in a staggering 761 PS (750 hp) and 1,050 Nm (774 lb-ft) of torque.

The Secret Weapon: The 2-Speed Gearbox

Electric motors generally do not need multi-speed transmissions because they produce maximum torque from zero RPM and can spin to incredibly high speeds.

However, Porsche engineers identified a compromise: if you gear an EV for explosive low-end acceleration, it loses efficiency and pulling power at high highway speeds (like on the Autobahn).

To solve this, Porsche fitted the Taycan with a bespoke 2-speed automatic transmission on the rear axle.

  • First Gear: Incredibly short, used almost exclusively for “Sport” or “Sport Plus” launch control starts. It provides the violent, concussive acceleration that pins occupants to their seats.
  • Second Gear: A taller ratio that the car uses for normal driving and high-speed cruising, optimizing efficiency and allowing the Taycan to pull hard all the way to its 260 km/h (162 mph) top speed.

This gearbox is a crucial factor in the Taycan Turbo S’s ability to rocket from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 2.8 seconds.

Defying Weight: The Chassis

The Taycan Turbo S weighs roughly 2,370 kg (5,225 lbs). By all traditional sports car metrics, a vehicle this heavy should understeer wildly and feel sluggish in corners.

Porsche solved this problem by mounting the massive 93.4 kWh Performance Battery Plus as low as possible in the floor, giving the Taycan a center of gravity actually lower than the 911.

Furthermore, they threw every piece of advanced chassis technology in their arsenal at the car:

  • Three-Chamber Air Suspension: Providing a massive breadth of capability between pillowy comfort and rock-hard track performance.
  • PDCC Sport: An active electromechanical roll stabilization system that actively pushes back against body roll, keeping the two-ton sedan impossibly flat through corners.
  • Rear-Axle Steering: Artificially shortening the wheelbase for low-speed agility and lengthening it for high-speed stability.
  • PCCB: Massive 420mm front Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes provide the stopping power necessary to halt the heavy vehicle repeatedly without fade.

The Driving Experience: Soul and Silence

The most impressive aspect of the Taycan Turbo S is not its straight-line speed (which is easily matched by rivals like the Tesla Model S Plaid), but its steering and communication.

Porsche insisted on tuning the steering to feel distinctly mechanical. It provides genuine feedback through the wheel, letting the driver know exactly what the front tires are doing.

Furthermore, Porsche recognized that silence can be unnerving during high-performance driving. They developed “Porsche Electric Sport Sound,” a synthesized audio profile that amplifies the natural frequencies of the electric motors, providing the driver with a futuristic, sci-fi hum that increases in pitch and volume with speed, giving a vital auditory cue to the car’s momentum.

A New Era

The Porsche Taycan Turbo S successfully translated the DNA of Zuffenhausen into the electric era. It proved that the transition away from internal combustion did not have to mean the death of driving pleasure. It remains the absolute benchmark for how a high-performance electric vehicle should handle, steer, and make the driver feel.