Tesla Model S vs. Porsche Taycan: Which EV Is Better In Range, Specs?

Tesla Inc. has nothing like the new Porsche Taycan.

The Tesla Model S luxury 5-door liftback is old, having rolled off the production line way back in 2012. As for Taycan, this all-electric 4-door coupé/sports car will first hit the road (in Europe) in 2020.

Porsche unveiled the Taycan Wednesday at simultaneous and glitzy launch events in Germany, China and Niagara Falls, Ontario.

EV aficionados are having a field day comparing relevant specs of Taycan and the Model S. A fair comparison will be to pit the Taycan Turbo S against the Model S Performance model.

Tesla discontinued the the Standard Range configuration last July. This decision left just the Performance and Long Range models available to the motoring public.

The next big thing in electric vehicles (EVs) will be to see Taycan take on the Model S in a hell-for-leather drag race. This adventure has viral written all over it.

“I would say that the Taycan is a big threat to the Model S,” said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of industry analysis for the auto website Edmunds. “The Model S is old. It was a great design but it’s pretty long in the tooth at this point.”

In Performance, both EVs come out about even, according to some experts. But what people want is speed and acceleration and here, both EVs are in a dead heat.

Taycan Tubo S can roar from 0 to 96 km/h (60 mph) in a lightning quick 2.6 seconds. It can zoom from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 3.5 seconds and can get to 200 km/h in less than 12 seconds. The machine has a top speed more than 250 km/h (155 mph).

In contrast, the Tesla S Performance can accelerate from 0 to 96 km/h (60 mph) in 3.3 seconds. It can hit 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.5 seconds and can go from 0 to 200 km/h (125 mph) in 14.1 seconds. Its top speed is 262 km/h (163 mph) after 44.2 seconds.

The range and charging argument appears to be in the Tesla’s favor, however. Porsche is working to get Taycan to achieve a range of more than 500 km (311 miles) from its current 400 km (250 miles). In contrast, the S Performance can reach out to 555 km (345 miles) on a full-charge.

Porsche said the Taycan’s quick charging capability allows this EV to go from five to 80 percent charge in only 22.5 minutes using a high-powered charging station capable of delivering 270kW.

Using Tesla’s new V3 Supercharger stations, charging the S Performance to 80 percent will likely take 20 minutes depending on conditions.

As for the price, the S Performance wins hands down for being the least expensive. It’s relatively cheap at $99,990 before adding the only two available options.

The Turbo S will set you back a stunning $187,610. Its partner, the Taycan Turbo, starts at $153,310 at launch.

“Personally, I can tell you that the car is overwhelming,” said Klaus Zellmer, CEO of Porsche North America. “Driving it is more than what I asked for. Now let’s see what consumers say about it.