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Sustainability expert Tan Szue Hann whizzes around in the Porsche Taycan—its first fully electric sports car—and notes that the marque is on the right track when it comes to creating luxurious yet sustainable rides
The Porsche Taycan is a gamechanger. In early 2019, Porsche announced that it will definitely increase production of its much-awaited fully electric sports car from the planned 20,000 units due to a surge in global demand. That production re-calibration was made even before the car hit the roads, signalling a more than healthy appetite among car enthusiasts to own a luxury electric car. And it's not hard to understand why.
For one, its performance is still top-notch despite being an electric car. It remains a Porsche thoroughbred machine through and through. Thanks to the two Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors installed and the performance battery integrated deep into the car's underbody, the result is a superb all-wheel drive that melds performance, speed and efficiency into one. With Launch Control, the Taycan 4S hits the century mark in merely 4 seconds, while clocking a top speed of 250 km/h. To push its limits, the Taycan 4S fitted with a performance battery can drive up to a combined range of 365 km (with the standard Performance Battery) and up to a combined range of 414 km (with the optional Performance Battery Plus)—all in a single charge. Also, the 800-volt architecture of the Taycan allows the battery to be charged from 5 to 80 per cent in merely 22.5 minutes under ideal conditions, such as the availability of a fast-charging network.