News
Porsche Taycan debut set for September 4, top facts about upcoming sports EV emerge
Porsche has confirmed that the formal debut of its first modern all-electric car, the Taycan, is set for September 4, 2019 at 9 a.m. EST. The vehicle will be launched at three locations: one in Canada, one in Germany, and another in China. With the Taycan’s launch, Porsche would be breaching a premium EV market that is so far dominated by Tesla and increasingly populated by veteran automakers such as Jaguar, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz.
The Taycan’s unveiling is only a few weeks away, and Porsche has been notably more open about giving access to its highly-secretive vehicle to the media. So far, the vehicle has been received extremely well. Fifth Gear presenter and Fully Charged host Jonny Smith, for one, was allowed to test the repeatability of the Taycan Turbo’s maximum performance during launches. The vehicle proved impressive for the host, as he was able to launch at max power 26 times with nary a drop in the car’s 0-60 mph performance.
Motoring publication Car and Driver was also able to experience the Porsche Taycan Turbo. Together with Porsche product line director for EVs Robert Meier, the publication was able to get some unique insights on the upcoming vehicle. The Taycan pre-production prototype, behind all its camouflage, was equipped with active anti-roll bars, carbon-ceramic brake rotors, rear-wheel steering, air springs, and a 21″ wheel and tire setup.
During Car and Driver‘s ride-along, Meier noted that the Taycan, thanks to its floor-mounted battery pack, actually has the lowest center of gravity in the company’s entire lineup. Comfort was a key portion of the Taycan’s development process as well, considering that the vehicle will be marketed as a four-door sedan that’s a step beneath the Panamera (and in turn, the Tesla Model S) in size. Highlighting the Taycan’s quickness, the Porsche executive noted that the vehicle will not see a drop in performance even when the battery is discharged past 50%.
Also notable is that the Taycan, unlike Tesla’s offerings like the Model 3 Performance, features a two-speed gearbox on its rear axle. This marks one of the first times that a production EV will be equipped with a two-speed gearbox, and it should provide a sizable benefit in both performance and efficiency. It would be interesting to see how Porsche manages the Taycan’s gearbox, considering Tesla’s experience with the original Roadster. During Tesla’s early days, the company equipped the original Roadster with a two-speed gearbox, but the components just kept breaking since the gearboxes could not handle the punishment from the vehicle’s electric motor.
Porsche states that the Taycan will have a range of 500 km (311 miles), though Car and Driver notes that this figure is based on the European NEDC cycle, which is far more generous than the more stringent and real-world accurate EPA cycle. During its ride-along with the vehicle, the publication noted that the Taycan showed a predicted 234 miles of range on a full charge, which reportedly seemed accurate considering that the trip’s route consisted of twisty mountain roads and 70-mph highway cruising. Meier’s comments to the publication’s team about being “conservative” with the Taycan’s range figure further adds to the idea of the vehicle having a US range rating that’s likely closer to 200 than 300 miles.
The Taycan has other notable quirks, including, but not limited to, two charging ports, its lack of one-pedal driving, and its sound, which could be heard especially at low speeds. This was particularly audible during Fully Charged host Jonny Smith’s first drive of the vehicle. With its low, bass-filled whine, the Taycan sounds not unlike those futuristic vehicles in sci-fi films.
Watch Fully Charged‘s experience with the Porsche Taycan Turbo in the video below.
Elon Musk
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ordered the closure of an investigation involving Elon Musk and social media platform X. The inquiry had been pending for about two years and examined whether the platform was used to coordinate attacks against members of the judiciary.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
According to a report from Agencia Brasil, the investigation conducted by the Federal Police did not find evidence that X deliberately attempted to attack the judiciary or circumvent court orders.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet concluded that the irregularities identified during the probe did not indicate fraudulent intent.
Justice Moraes accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and ruled that the investigation should be closed. Under the ruling, the case will remain closed unless new evidence emerges.
The inquiry stemmed from concerns that content on X may have enabled online attacks against Supreme Court justices or violated rulings requiring the suspension of certain accounts under investigation.
Justice Moraes had previously taken several enforcement actions related to the platform during the broader dispute involving social media regulation in Brazil.
These included ordering a nationwide block of the platform, freezing Starlink accounts, and imposing fines on X totaling about $5.2 million. Authorities also froze financial assets linked to X and SpaceX through Starlink to collect unpaid penalties and seized roughly $3.3 million from the companies’ accounts.
Moraes also imposed daily fines of up to R$5 million, about $920,000, for alleged evasion of the X ban and established penalties of R$50,000 per day for VPN users who attempted to bypass the restriction.
Brazil remains an important market for X, with roughly 17 million users, making it one of the platform’s larger user bases globally.
The country is also a major market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has surpassed one million subscribers in Brazil.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
