Porsche is enticing electric vehicle shoppers, especially Tesla Model S shoppers, to give its 2020 Taycan a serious look with its announcement that the Porsche EV sedan will have three years of prepaid fast charging for Porsche Taycan buyers as part of the purchase price of the sedan.
Electrify America, the subsidiary created by Volkswagen in 2016, is building an electric vehicle charging network across the country. Porsche Taycan owners will be able to plug into a 350-kilowatt, 800-volt fast-charger at one of more than 300 highway-based fast chargers as well as more than 180 urban charging sites featuring 150-kW chargers located in 17 metropolitan areas around the country. Taycan owners will get three years of unlimited 30-minute charges at these locations; with the 350-kW chargers, the Taycan can obtain an additional 60 miles of range in about four minutes.
Electrify America also says that all 191 Porsche dealers will be installing a fast charger as well, with more than 120 of them installing a new Porsche Turbo Charging station. This is the company's proprietary charging station that delivers 320-kW via the Taycan's combined charging system-style plug, a universal standard. The Porsche Turbo Chargers are already installed at the company's Porsche Experience Center near its North American headquarters in Atlanta, with more planned for the center located in Los Angeles.
The 2020 Porsche Taycan — aka the Porsche Mission E in concept form — is the first dedicated electric car from Porsche, and specs released so far have it nearly matching the Tesla Model S in terms of performance, with Porsche stating that the zero-to-62-mph time will be "well under 3.5 seconds" with the ability to hit 124 mph in about 12 seconds. But the most interesting aspect of the car isn't its performance or its anticipated 310-mile range, but its 800-volt electrical system that when connected to the proper charger (like Electrify America's 800-volt, 350-kW DC fast chargers) can bring the car from empty to 248 miles of range in just 15 minutes. That's almost as quick as refueling a gasoline-powered car at a gas station. Porsche says that it also intends to introduce an in-house-designed home-charging station, but it almost certainly won't be an 800-volt charger, which would require some serious industrial power supply. The Taycan is expected to go on sale in late 2019.
Electrify America is already on track to provide a massive charging infrastructure as part of Volkwagen's penance for the Dieselgate emissions scandal. It has previously announced that it will install charging stations at more than 100 Walmart stores in 34 states around the U.S. by mid-2019. Volkswagen plans to switch a majority of its mainstream offerings to electric power in the next few years. It's part of VW's push to find an efficient powertrain option that can replace diesel in the company's product plan and try to restore the trust it lost with buyers around the world in the wake of its scandal.
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