The electric motors are similar in design to the unit employed on the petrol-electric hybrid driveline used by the Le Mans-winning 919 Hybrid, with a solenoid coil featuring rectangular, rather than round, wiring.
This has enabled Porsche to package the copper wires within the solenoid coil more tightly together to make the electric motors smaller than they would be using more conventional round wires. A similar solenoid design is being considered by BMW for the motors in the production version of its Vision iX3 concept car, which is due out in 2020.
In a move aimed at imbuing the Taycan with the sort of rear-biased handling traits that have characterised Porsche models through the years, the two electric motors have varying outputs, with the one at the rear more powerful than the one at the front. A torque vectoring function on both axles also regulates the amount of drive sent to each individual wheel.
A rear-wheel-drive version of the Taycan, featuring a single electric motor on the rear axle, is also currently undergoing production as part of a planned 200-strong fleet of prototypes and pre-production examples. Sighted by Autocar on the production line in Zuffenhausen, it’s expected to be offered from the start of sales as part of a multi-tiered line-up similar to that of other Porsche models.
The channelling of drive is handled by a two-speed gearbox – a choice that also differs from the single-speed gearboxes used by most electric cars. This has been chosen for its ability to provide a second gear for sustained high-speed performance, which Porsche considers crucial if its new electric car is to make a mark on typical Porsche customers.
Porsche plans to offer the Taycan with a number of different power outputs in a strategy not dissimilar to that of Tesla with the Model S, which comes in 75D, 100D and P100D guises. Nothing is confirmed, but officials suggest variants with up to 402bhp, 469bhp, 536bhp and, at the top of the range, 603bhp are being developed, but it remains to be seen whether they will all be offered for sale over the car’s planned seven-year lifecycle.
In range-topping four-wheel-drive 603bhp guise, the Taycan is expected to eclipse the 3.5sec 0-62mph time announced at the unveiling of the Mission E, placing it on a similar performance plane to the 911 Turbo for acceleration. Although the top speed has yet to be announced, it’s claimed to be “well over 200kmh [124mph]”.
One factor Porsche is pushing heavily in the lead-up to the launch of the Taycan is its ability to provide what it describes as reproducible performance.
“Drivers won’t need to worry about throttling performance,” said Weckbach. “The Taycan will offer reproducible performance and a top speed that can be maintained for long periods.”