Porsche says that it ‘enters the electric era with the new Taycan’, makes progress toward production

There are many electric vehicles expected to hit the market next year, but Porsche’s Taycan, formerly known as the Mission E, might be the most anticipated one.

Porsche now says that it “enters the electric era with the new Taycan” and shares some details about its progress toward production.

The German automaker is investing six billion euros and hiring 1,200 new employees for the launch of the Taycan alone.

Andreas Haffner, Member of the Executive Board responsible for HR and Social Affairs, said about the program today:

“The Taycan is one of biggest creators of jobs in the history of Porsche,”

But not all the new employees will exclusively work on the Taycan.

Porsche says that it is building a “factory within a factory” at the main plant in Zuffenhausen, where their first all-electric vehicle will be built.

Some of the production capacity will mix with Porsche’s two-door sports cars built at the same factory.

Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board responsible for Production and Logistics, explains:

“By applying flexi-line production, Porsche will become the first vehicle manufacturer to use driverless transport systems in a continuous series production process.”

The company is focusing on making the Taycan program profitable – albeit not as profitable as some of Porsche’s other programs.

Lutz Meschke, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board and Member of the Board responsible for Finance and IT at Porsche, said that they are aiming for a 15-percent gross margin, but they expect to make money in other ways with the vehicle:

“In addition to efficient processes, the revenue from digital products and services should also increasingly contribute to our economic success,”

Porsche never confirmed the volume of production that they are planning for the Taycan, but numbers from 20,000 to 30,000 units per year have been discussed.

Meschke added:

“We predict that over 50 percent of Porsche models delivered from 2025 will be electrified,”

Of course, keep in mind that automakers use the word electrified to not only talk about all-electric vehicles but also hybrids and plug-in hybrids.

In terms of specs, the company has previously been talking about a 0 to 60 mph acceleration in 3.5 seconds and earlier this year, a Porsche executive said that the Taycan will be able to go long distances at high-speed, like traveling on the German autobahn, or to complete a few laps on the race track.

But the vehicle’s charging system might be the biggest feature that the Taycan is bringing to market.

Porsche is talking about a 800-volt system that should allow a charge rate of up to 350 kW, which could charge the car up to 80% in only 15 minutes.

The vehicle is expected to have a range of over 250 miles and to come to market late in 2019.