Watch The Porsche Taycan Benchmark Testing With The Tesla Model S On The Stelvio Pass
We know the upcoming Porsche Taycan electric sedan is seeking to beat the Tesla Model S at its own game, and it's now been spotted benchmark testing against a Model S P85D in the mountains of Italy on the iconic Stelvio Pass.
Porsche has never been shy about its ambition to unseat the Tesla Model S as the new electric car to beat, and last week it was reported that the Taycan would be priced at less than the Panamera to be more competitive with Tesla's European pricing for its cars.
It was only inevitable that someone would catch Porsche testing the Taycan's performance against Tesla, and now there's video from Frank Cooreman via the folks over at TaycanForum:
The Stelvio Pass is a well-known stretch of winding roads on Italy's border with Switzerland, commonly regarded as one of the best driving roads in the world and now the namesake of a Alfa Romeo crossover, which is kind of sad.
Anyway, since the steep curves of the road don't exactly leave a lot of room for speed runs, it's probably a good gauge of both moderate altitude testing, suspension work and handling comparisons for the Taycan.
The Tesla Model S P85D in the video is an interesting choice for benchmark testing, since Tesla no longer offers it. Once the flagship model for the Model S, the P85D has a claimed 691 HP and zero to 60 mph time of 3.2 seconds and an expected range of approximately 250 miles.
Tesla's current Model S has seen some improvements, with the 75D improving on the range of the old 85D, and the 100D far surpassing it with a 335 mile range.
The Taycan is expected to be available with at least 600 horsepower and an estimated range of over 300 miles, though it's possible there will be multiple models with potentially varied performance capabilities. So far, we know it should only take about three and four seconds to get the Taycan to 60 mph with a top speed of 155 mph, and a claimed recharge time of 80 percent capacity in 20 minutes using a fast charger.
Of course, once Porsche gets over the performance hurdle of matching the Model S, it still has to sort out the DC quick-charging infrastructure needed to go up against Tesla's extensive Supercharger network, which is probably the critical factor in truly beating Tesla at its own game.