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Porsche Taycan charging times to be 2X faster than Tesla’s Superchargers

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When the Porsche Taycan starts production next year, the electric car market will be even more saturated than it is today. Tesla’s Model 3 would likely be at a production rate of 10,000 units per week. Electric cars from veteran carmakers, such as Jaguar’s I-PACE, Mercedes-Benz’s EQC and Audi’s e-tron, would be in the market as well.

For Porsche, this is not a problem. During the recently held Rennsport Reunion, a gathering of Porsche enthusiasts in Monterey, CA, the German legacy automaker noted that the Taycan would make a mark in the electric car market not because it was the first to enter production. Rather, it would establish itself as a competitor with its driving dynamics and rapid charging times. Detlev von Platen, Porsche’s executive board member for sales and marketing, described the company’s stance on the Taycan in a statement to Fortune.

“We don’t need and don’t want to be the first. It doesn’t make any sense to drive fast and then wait two hours to charge batteries. Achieving an 80% charge in a quarter of an hour is an argument for us.” he said.

Quite unlike the strategy employed by other legacy automakers like Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz, whose vehicles largely rely on established charging infrastructure, Porsche is looking to develop its own charging network. Just like Tesla’s ever-growing Supercharger Network, Porsche’s 350 kW Electric Pit Stops are designed to serve as an ultra-fast charging system for its electric vehicles. Porsche is even taking the idea of fast chargers a step further, stating that it is aiming to design a system that could recharge 80% of the Taycan’s batteries in just 15 minutes.

If Porsche successfully rolls out its Electric Pit Stops, it would create a network of rapid chargers that are twice as quick as Tesla’s Supercharger Network, which have an output of ~120 kW and are capable of recharging the company’s electric vehicles up to 80% in 30 minutes. That said, Tesla is also preparing the rollout of its Supercharger V3, which is expected to have an output of 200-250 kW. During Tesla’s Q1 earnings call, Elon Musk shared a critique of 350 kW systems, stating that such an output could compromise the battery. 

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“The thing about a 350 kW charger is that it doesn’t actually make a ton of sense, unless you got a monster battery pack or have like a crazy high C rating. We think 350 kW for a single car; you’re gonna frag the battery pack if you do that. You cannot charge a high-energy battery pack at that rate, unless it’s a very high kW battery pack. So, (for us), something along the couple of hundred, 200-250 kW,” Musk said.

Porsche’s Electric Pit Stop charging system. [Credit: Porsche]

Ultimately, Porsche is counting on the strength of its pedigree and the car’s driving performance to push the Taycan forward. The Taycan is Porsche’s first all-electric car, and it would be the flagship of the company as it transitions to an electrified fleet in the coming years. Considering that Porsche has already abandoned diesel and committed to electrifying 50% of its fleet by 2025, the Taycan is a vehicle that must resonate with the company’s loyal consumer base. Michael Steiner, Porsche research and development executive board member, believes that the Taycan will be up to the task.

“Even if you’re not looking for an EV, I’m convinced there will be a lot of customers driving it for performance,” he said.

Porsche is already seeing encouraging signs from its customers. Executives of the legacy automaker note that the demand for its green vehicles is increasing. In Europe, for example, plug-in hybrid variants of the Porsche Panamera already comprise 60% of the vehicle’s sales. Porsche is aiming to produce 20,000 units of the Taycan every year, and so far, the reception of the vehicle has been better than expected. In Norway alone, 2,000 reservations have been filed for the car. Pre-orders for the Taycan have started in the United States as well.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla analysts believe Musk and Trump feud will pass

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump’s feud shall pass, several bulls say.

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
President Donald J. Trump purchases a Tesla on the South Lawn, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

Tesla analysts are breaking down the current feud between CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump, as the two continue to disagree on the “Big Beautiful Bill” and its impact on the country’s national debt.

Musk, who headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump Administration, left his post in May. Soon thereafter, he and President Trump entered a very public and verbal disagreement, where things turned sour. They reconciled to an extent, and things seemed to be in the past.

However, the second disagreement between the two started on Monday, as Musk continued to push back on the “Big Beautiful Bill” that the Trump administration is attempting to sign into law. It would, by Musk’s estimation, increase spending and reverse the work DOGE did to trim the deficit.

President Trump has hinted that DOGE could be “the monster” that “eats Elon,” threatening to end the subsidies that SpaceX and Tesla receive. Musk has not been opposed to ending government subsidies for companies, including his own, as long as they are all abolished.

How Tesla could benefit from the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ that axes EV subsidies

Despite this contentious back-and-forth between the two, analysts are sharing their opinions now, and a few of the more bullish Tesla observers are convinced that this feud will pass, Trump and Musk will resolve their differences as they have before, and things will return to normal.

ARK Invest’s Cathie Wood said this morning that the feud between Musk and Trump is another example of “this too shall pass:”

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Additionally, Wedbush’s Dan Ives, in a note to investors this morning, said that the situation “will settle:”

“We believe this situation will settle and at the end of the day Musk needs Trump and Trump needs Musk given the AI Arms Race going on between the US and China. The jabs between Musk and Trump will continue as the Budget rolls through Congress but Tesla investors want Musk to focus on driving Tesla and stop this political angle…which has turned into a life of its own in a roller coaster ride since the November elections.”

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Tesla shares are down about 5 percent at 3:10 p.m. on the East Coast.

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Tesla scrambles after Musk sidekick exit, CEO takes over sales

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is reportedly overseeing sales in North America and Europe, Bloomberg reports.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla scrambled its executives around following the exit of CEO Elon Musk’s sidekick last week, Omead Afshar. Afshar was relieved of his duties as Head of Sales for both North America and Europe.

Bloomberg is reporting that Musk is now overseeing both regions for sales, according to sources familiar with the matter. Afshar left the company last week, likely due to slow sales in both markets, ending a seven-year term with the electric automaker.

Tesla’s Omead Afshar, known as Elon Musk’s right-hand man, leaves company: reports

Afshar was promoted to the role late last year as Musk was becoming more involved in the road to the White House with President Donald Trump.

Afshar, whose LinkedIn account stated he was working within the “Office of the CEO,” was known as Musk’s right-hand man for years.

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Additionally, Tom Zhu, currently the Senior Vice President of Automotive at Tesla, will oversee sales in Asia, according to the report.

It is a scramble by Tesla to get the company’s proven executives over the pain points the automaker has found halfway through the year. Sales are looking to be close to the 1.8 million vehicles the company delivered in both of the past two years.

Tesla is pivoting to pay more attention to the struggling automotive sales that it has felt over the past six months. Although it is still performing well and is the best-selling EV maker by a long way, it is struggling to find growth despite redesigning its vehicles and launching new tech and improvements within them.

The company is also looking to focus more on its deployment of autonomous tech, especially as it recently launched its Robotaxi platform in Austin just over a week ago.

Tesla officially launches Robotaxi service with no driver

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However, while this is the long-term catalyst for Tesla, sales still need some work, and it appears the company’s strategy is to put its biggest guns on its biggest problems.

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Tesla upgrades Model 3 and Model Y in China, hikes price for long-range sedan

Tesla’s long-range Model 3 now comes with a higher CLTC-rated range of 753 km (468 miles).

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla has rolled out a series of quiet upgrades to its Model 3 and Model Y in China, enhancing range and performance for long-range variants. The updates come with a price hike for the Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive, which now costs RMB 285,500 (about $39,300), up RMB 10,000 ($1,400) from the previous price.

Model 3 gets acceleration boost, extended range

Tesla’s long-range Model 3 now comes with a higher CLTC-rated range of 753 km (468 miles), up from 713 km (443 miles), and a faster 0–100 km/h acceleration time of 3.8 seconds, down from 4.4 seconds. These changes suggest that Tesla has bundled the previously optional Acceleration Boost for the Model 3, once priced at RMB 14,100 ($1,968), as a standard feature.

Delivery wait times for the long-range Model 3 have also been shortened, from 3–5 weeks to just 1–3 weeks, as per CNEV Post. No changes were made to the entry-level RWD or Performance versions, which retain their RMB 235,500 and RMB 339,500 price points, respectively. Wait times for those trims also remain at 1–3 weeks and 8–10 weeks.

Model Y range increases, pricing holds steady

The Model Y Long Range has also seen its CLTC-rated range increase from 719 km (447 miles) to 750 km (466 miles), though its price remains unchanged at RMB 313,500 ($43,759). The model maintains a 0–100 km/h time of 4.3 seconds.

Tesla also updated delivery times for the Model Y lineup. The Long Range variant now shows a wait time of 1–3 weeks, an improvement from the previous 3–5 weeks. The entry-level RWD version maintained its starting price of RMB 263,500, though its delivery window is now shorter at 2–4 weeks.

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Tesla continues to offer several purchase incentives in China, including an RMB 8,000 discount for select paint options, an RMB 8,000 insurance subsidy, and five years of interest-free financing for eligible variants.

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