Skip to main content

Porsche shaves nearly $80,000 from the Taycan EV’s price with new 4S variant

Porsche launched the Taycan, its first series-produced electric car, by revealing the flagship Turbo and Turbo S variants. It just unveiled a cheaper, less powerful version named 4S that’s available with two different powertrain configurations.

Recommended Videos

The Taycan 4S gives us a clearer idea of how Porsche plans to market its future electric cars. The powertrains are primarily differentiated by the size of their battery packs. The regular, entry-level 4S is built on top of a 79.2-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that zaps a pair of electric motors (one on each axle) with 429 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque, though the horsepower output briefly increases to 522 when the driver turns on the launch control feature. Reaching 60 mph from a stop takes 3.8 seconds, and top speed is limited at 155 mph.

Motorists can pay extra for what Porsche calls a Performance Battery Plus whose capacity checks in at 93.4-kilowatt-hour. It’s the exact same unit found in the aforementioned Turbo and Turbo S variants. The two electric motors produce 482 hp (or, briefly, 563 with launch control) and 479 lb-ft. of torque. Zero to 60 mph also takes 3.8 seconds, and the top speed is also limited to 155 mph. The range is likely the main reason to select the battery pack, but we don’t know if it’s worth it yet.

Porsche hasn’t announced how far either 4S can drive on a single charge because the model hasn’t been tested by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yet. The company nonetheless pointed out its 800-volt charging technology replenishes a battery from 5% to 80% in 22.5 minutes — “under ideal circumstances,” the firm stressed.

We don’t expect you to tell the 4S apart from the Turbo or Turbo S models by simply looking at it. The visual modifications are minor, and largely limited to a redesigned lower front bumper, reshaped side skirts, and a black diffuser embedded into the rear bumper. The 19-inch alloy wheels specific to the 4S add a finishing touch to the design.

The 2020 Porsche Taycan 4S is on sale now with a base price of $103,800, though motorists who want the bigger pack will need to pay $110,380. Neither figure includes a $1,350 destination charge. In comparison, the flagship Turbo S will set you back by $185,000, while Porsche priced the Turbo at $150,900. Deliveries will begin in the spring of 2020.

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Scout Traveler and Scout Terra forge a new path for EVs
Scout Traveler and Scout Terra.

Electric vehicles are inseparable from newness, whether it’s new tech, new designs, or new companies like Rivian, Lucid, and Tesla. But the Volkswagen Group’s new EV-only brand also relies heavily on the past.

Unveiled Thursday, the Scout Traveler electric SUV and Scout Terra electric pickup truck are modern interpretations of the classic International Harvester Scout. Manufactured from 1961 to 1980, the original Scout helped popularize the idea of the rugged, off-road-capable utility vehicle, setting the stage for modern SUVs.

Read more
Robotaxi aside, a $25,000 EV would be pointless, Tesla CEO says
Blue Tesla Model 3 Highland on the road

Enthusiasts expecting to one day put their hands on the steering wheel of a $25,000 Tesla EV may feel like they’ve been taken for a ride.
CEO Elon Musk has just put a serious damper on those expectations, saying that outside of the driverless Robotaxi recently unveiled by Tesla, a regular $25,000 model would be “pointless” and “silly.”
During a conference call with investors, Musk was asked to clarify whether such a model was in the works.
"Basically, having a regular $25K model is pointless,” Musk said. “It would be silly. It would be completely at odds with what we believe." Tesla, Musk continued, has “been very clear that the future is autonomous.”
On October 10, Tesla unveiled its much-awaited robotaxi, called the Cybercab, an autonomous-driving EV with no steering wheel or pedals. The company also unveiled the Robovan, a much larger autonomous vehicle expected to carry people or goods.
The automaker said the Cybercab is expected to be produced in 2026 and cost $30,000. Musk, meanwhile, said that it would be a $25,000 car without specifying if that price tag included federal tax credits.
Tesla’s ambiguity about an affordable entry-level model has been going on for years. In 2020, Musk signaled that a $25,000 Tesla would arrive within three years. It was later reported that Tesla had ditched the idea, instead favoring the development of a robotaxi.
Language within Tesla’s latest financial report still hints that new affordable Tesla models are on the way. But Musk’s latest comments are putting a floor on just how affordable these would be. So far, Tesla’s Model 3 Rear-Wheel-Drive remains the company’s cheapest model, with a base price of $38,990.
Some rival EV makers, meanwhile, are entering the affordable space more aggressively in the U.S.
General Motors has already put out its Chevy Equinox EV at a price of $27,500, including federal tax credits. Volkswagen America says it plans to release an under-$35,000 EV in the U.S. by 2027.

Read more
Stellantis’ 2027 Dodge Charger Daytona might feature solid-state battery tech
Front three quarter view of the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona sedan.

The battle to use cheaper, more efficient, and safer EV batteries is heating up among automakers. At the heart of this battle, the development of solid-state battery technology, an alternative to highly flammable and costly lithium batteries, is garnering more and more attention.For proof, Stellantis, the world’s fourth-largest automaker, is betting on the technology for its next generation of electric vehicles. The Netherlands-based company announced that it will launch a demonstration fleet of Dodge Charger Daytona EVs that will feature solid-state battery tech made by U.S. startup Factorial.The demo fleet, expected to launch by 2026, will provide a real-world assessment of Factorial’s technology. Factorial has been partnering with Stellantis since 2021 and is also partnering with the likes of Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai.Besides Dodge, the technology would eventually be deployed on the Stellantis STLA Large multi-energy platform, which includes brands such as Jeep, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati.Stellantis said that the integration of solid-state battery technology will yield “improved performance, longer driving ranges, and faster charging times in the coming years.”Factorial, meanwhile, says its technology provides higher energy density, reduced weight, improved performance, and the potential for further reduction in total vehicle cost over time. Stellantis, Daimler, and Hyundai aren’t the only ones to bet on solid-state battery tech. Toyota, the largest automaker in the world, has heavily invested in the technology. It also created a coalition with Nissan and Panasonic to boost its production in Japan. So far, making solid-state batteries has remained an expensive endeavor. But steps such as the Stellantis demo fleet and production at scale by the likes of Factorial are expected to improve manufacturing processes and costs over time.Other automakers, meanwhile, are working on ways to improve lithium batteries. Volkswagen, for one, is developing its own unified battery cell in several European plants as well as one plant in Ontario, Canada.

Read more