Zero-to-60 times are shorthand for what anybody buying a Porsche is supposed to care about. But with the all-electric Taycan due out later this year, Porsche executives are talking up a less-exhilarating metric: getting to 60 miles of charge.
Stepping into the world of electric cars is making even the most hallowed performance brands rethink how they market their vehicles, and Porsche is no exception. At peak, the Taycan will be able to add more than 60 miles of charge in four minutes, thanks to an 800-volt battery that can absorb fast-charging rates of up to 350 kilowatts. That’s quicker than Tesla owners can achieve at the company’s 120-kilowatt supercharging stations, which can bring batteries to about an 80 percent charge in roughly 30 minutes.
“Getting into a car and doing 0-to-60 mph in less than three seconds—can you really differentiate yourself if you do it in 2.8 seconds, and the other can do it in 2.7?," said Klaus Zellmer, the head of Porsche Cars North America. “There are other factors that will gain importance, such as charging time.”
That may sound like blasphemy to some Porsche enthusiasts. But charging times will be a key selling point for automakers trying to coax consumers into overcoming their fear of being stranded with a dead battery. Porsche’s new four-door sedan is part of a pack of luxury electric vehicles, along with Audi’s E-Tron and Jaguar’s I-Pace, that are looking to capture some of Tesla Inc.’s industry-defying magic. Sales of EVs made up just 1.1 percent of new-car sales in the U.S. last year, according to researcher LMC Automotive, and Tesla accounted for most of that.
Charging infrastructure is a new perk for would-be buyers. Through a partnership with Electrify America, the charging-network company borne from Volkswagen AG’s diesel-emissions scandal, Taycan owners will get three years of free charging at stations that’ll have a minimum of two 350 kilowatt chargers per site.
While Electrify America announced Friday that it was shutting down its fast chargers to investigate a potential safety issue involving a supplier’s liquid-cooled cables, Porsche said in an emailed statement that it's confident the issue will be resolved before the launch of the Taycan later this year. And in addition to the network of 300 highway fast-charging stations that are going to be either installed or under construction by July 1, another 120 Porsche dealerships will offer fast charging by early 2020.
Building long-distance charging infrastructure may not be entirely rational, since about 90 percent of electric-vehicle charging happens at home. But that hasn’t stopped automakers from touting their charging offerings. Audi is giving away 1,000 free kilowatt hours with Electrify America for anyone buying a new E-Tron. General Motors Co.’s Chevrolet Bolt EV comes with a card for ChargePoint stations, though the driver has to foot the bill.
Tesla is also moving toward a pay-for-use model after previously offering 400 kilowatt hours a year of free fast charging on its proprietary network. CEO Elon Musk has promised upgrades to its Supercharger network early this year.
This is a new role for automakers who have no real interest in today’s network of gas stations that provide fuel for millions of internal combustion cars. “They really don’t care where you charge, but they do care that you feel comfortable that you know you can charge so you’ll buy the car,” said Brett Smith, director of propulsion technology and energy infrastructure at the nonprofit Center for Automotive Research. “For that to happen, the car companies have to get involved.”
‘Getting into a car and doing 0-to-60 mph in less than three seconds—can you really differentiate yourself?’