Elon Musk recently tweeted that Tesla’s next Roadster model, which, fingers crossed will hit the roads in 2020, could offer a package that includes ten small rocket engines placed around the car to help improve acceleration, top speed, and handling. This news probably had something to do with an announcement from Porsche around the same time detailing their Taycan, the company’s first all-electric car that will be available sooner and actually cost less than the new Roadster.
Roughly translating to “lively, young horse,” the Taycan, which was previously known as the Mission E, will reportedly feature a range of about 300 miles on a full charge – which is longer than the current Roadster but about half the range of the next generation model. The Taycan will churn out over 600 horsepower and go from 0 to 60 mph in under 3.5 seconds, making it more comparable to the high-end Model S, which has a maximum range of 335 miles and is a second quicker in getting up to 60 mph.
Porsche has stated its Taycan will offer the ability to maintain its top speed of 155 mph – which is basically the same as the model S – for longer stretches. Porsche has also hinted at more advanced driver-assistance features and a holographic dashboard display.
Porsche has reportedly invested over $7 billion in developing electric vehicles, and by the end of 2019 plans to have more fast-charging stations in the U.S. than Tesla.
The Taycan is expected to hit the road in 2019 and start at around $75,000. A comparable Tesla could cost at least $25,000 more. Leave it to Elon Musk to make Porsche look like a discount buy.