Porsche is no stranger to speed, producing as it has (and still does) some of the fastest cars ever to hit the road or track. And now it's after another crown in the realm of speed, but this time it's not for the pace with which its cars cover ground. This time it's for charging times.
Speaking with Fortune at the Rennsport Reunion last weekend, Porsche's US chief Klaus Zellmer said its forthcoming Taycan electric sports car will be able to quick-charge to 80 percent of its battery's capacity in just 15 minutes.
That's “almost the same time if you fill up your gas tank and have a cup of coffee,” said Zellmer. More to the point, though – and in true Porsche style – it's much faster than the competition. As Fortune points out, Teslas take nearly half an hour to achieve the same charge. And Jaguar's new I-Pace takes 45 minutes.
“It doesn’t make any sense to drive fast and then wait two hours to charge batteries,” added Porsche's sales and marketing chief Detlev von Platen. That's why it's pursuing quicker charging times.
The German automaker is no stranger to charging its vehicles' batteries, having already produced plug-in hybrids like the 918 Spyder and E-Hybrid versions of its Panamera and Cayenne models. But the Taycan will be its first completely electric vehicle.
Stemming from the Mission E project (pictured), the Porsche Taycan is slated to pack over 600 horsepower worth of electric power, sending it rocketing to 60 in under 3.5 seconds. It's anticipated to launch in 2020, after which we can expect additional battery-powered vehicles to come rolling out of Zuffenhausen in the coming years.
