Up close with Taycan, Porsche's first electric car

Porsche's first electric car was no secret. The Taycan was teased, spied on, advertised and promoted for four years. But after the official revelation on Wednesday, Porsche's first electric car is now open.

There is now a clarity that has escaped almost everyone outside the company's headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. And after seeing it up close, I'm delighted that it's almost time for him to literally take the road – despite the fact that I will never reach my life to afford to pay the starting price $ 150,900.

The fuller picture that Porsche painted on Wednesday about the Taycan is that of an electric sports car that will be hanging from the fastest vehicles on the market, all without sacrificing convenience. It's an electric vehicle imbued with the features forged in the automaker's historic motorsport program, and a vehicle that marks the beginning of a new era in the company's long history.

The Taycan looks like a car that can make people switch to electric propulsion in a way that only Tesla has actually achieved so far. The Audi E-Tron, the Mercedes-Benz EQC and the Jaguar I-Pace are completely missing.

Number-wiseit's a beast. It's not as fast as Tesla's fastest cars and does not have as much reach. But all other German (or US) luxury electric cars, and even most of the internal combustion and hybrid cars, are better off.

What Porsche wants people to focus on over time from 0 to 60 mph (3.0 seconds for the Taycan Turbo base) is the car's ability to repeat that performance without overheating the battery or limit the power output. This will probably be an advantage that Taycan will retain for a few years, and for those who want to put this car on the alert, it will make the price a bit more acceptable.

From the point of view of the look, there is virtually nothing that distinguishes the Taycan from an electric car. This may prevent the car from promoting the technology on which it is based. But I am cautiously optimistic. This is the sign that we are finally leaving the initial phase of consumer electric vehicles and entering a phase where they are taken more seriously.

Car manufacturers have spent years differentiating between fully electric and hybrid cars with bright blue accents and distant designs. It may be argued that this had a chilling effect on potential buyers, who might have wanted to give the time of day to a cleaner car, but could not swallow a hatchback or a spaceship at four wheels.

The Taycan follows in the footsteps of Tesla, which inspired automakers to design only beautiful electric cars. It presents all the curves and all the details that one expects from a modern Porsche. Some, like the vegan interior, are less typical.

The interior of Taycan surprised me, it's the interior: it's less odious than the photos that Porsche published a few weeks ago. Admittedly, the optional passenger-side screen is a little heavy. But the two main screens provided as standard on the car are large enough and clear enough to offer a lot of information at the same time, and they blend in perfectly with the car. The central screen feels particularly well integrated; as it is not surrounded by left plastic buttons, you must look for seams that disappear in the dashboard.

I did not have much time to go through the menus and settings (in addition, the operating systems posted in Niagara Falls were all in German), but the animations were fast and there was had no gap between my taps and those of the system. the answers. This is not an easy task when it comes to infotainment systems built by car manufacturers. Since there is virtually no chance that Porsche entrusts control of its cabin experience to one of the major technology companies, it is reassuring to think that this Linux-based system seems to have been properly implemented.

The center console touch panel allows drivers and passengers to interact with the climate controls, but can also display other information, such as battery information. he looks really nice, but I would prefer a few buttons, like those of the console used by Porsche in the Panamera series. These buttons are easy to find without leaving the road eyes. That's why I guess Taycan drivers will have to hunt and peck a bit more (if they want to use voice control) if they feel a bit cold or hot.

You can call the Porsche Taycan a lot. It is the spearhead of the biggest operation of the parent company Volkswagen in electric vehicles. It may be a kind of penance for the automaker's role in Volkswagen's biggest emissions fraud scandal, Dieselgate. Some will call it a worthy rival of Tesla, while others might wrongly call it a Tesla killer. In Canada, this week in Canada, Porsche called the Taycan "bold" and said its goal was to build the "greatest electric car the world has ever seen".

The Taycan is not quite that. But that seems to be a bit of all. It will serve as VE halo for both Porsche and Volkswagen, and will be the car that people would like to buy when they buy, say, a fully electric golf. This will probably help some people forget or forgive Dieselgate (if they have not already done so). It will become a status symbol for the haves who may be a little tired of having only one option in luxury electric vehicles. Tesla will certainly not lose the leading status of electric vehicles and technology embedded in the car, but it helps to narrow the gap.

Electric vehicles are an essential part of the fight against pollution in the transport sector. It is always nice to see more inspiring and ambitious models on the market. This will not solve the congestion problems that affect our cities, nor will it be a real option for the majority of consumers.

But, like so many Porsche's before, the Taycan could be the next car to be stuck to a child's wall or taped on the lock screen of his smartphone. Along with the tens of thousands of Taycans that Porsche plans to sell each year, it would be a feat in itself.

Photograph of Sean O'Kane / The Verge