A winner has yet to be determined from the battle of electric vehicle between Porsche and Tesla. The latest situation on the battlefield is that Tesla Model 3 Performance has achieved a result of 7 minutes and 44 seconds from Nürburgring, and presses up to the throne of Porsche Taycan. What exactly is going on?
Tesla has transformed the impression of sluggish speed in electric vehicles amidst its rising to the top of the market, and the constant emphasis on horsepower and the acceleration time of 0-100 has moved numerous performance-oriented automotive fanatics, though the release of Porsche Taycan has since altered the status quo.
Prior to the official release of Porsche Taycan, all electric vehicles have been small and medium models used for commuting apart from the models of Tesla, however, Taycan had travelled to the most renowned racetrack in the world: Nürburgring Nordschleife (also known as the Green Hell), during 2019 before its debut in the market, where the model managed to achieve a result of 7 minutes and 42 seconds, which made it the mass-produced electric vehicle with the best result in the particular racetrack, and had directly slapped Tesla in the face.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk can be regarded as the entrepreneur who possesses the strongest traits of chunibyo in this century, as he began actuating Model S to go onto racetracks whilst praising Taycan’s remarkable achievement. The Green Hell is more than just hype, as its 20.8km racetrack of substantial amount of undulating terrain and sharp curves imposes profound challenges for numerous fossil fuel vehicles, let alone the batteries and motors of electric vehicles that are sensitive to temperature.
Model S has returned from Nürburgring defeated multiple times over the past several years primarily due to overheating that prevented it from completing the race. As triggered by Taycan, Model S Plaid had accomplished a result of 7 minutes and 20 seconds in November 2019, though it was difficult to determine the winner despite the victory due to the non-official record.
Perhaps it is not a fall out that these two automotive manufacturers want, however, the Green Hell is designed for more than official vehicles. It was not long ago where Unplugged Performance, a retailer who provides exclusive modification services for Tesla vehicles, had modified the suspension, brake, and tires for a unit of Model 3 Performance, and was handed to professional driver Luis Ramirez, who took the vehicle to the Green Hell: Nürburgring Nordschleife.
As a result, this modified Model 3 Performance had accomplished a result of 7 minutes and 44 seconds on a rainy day and along with other competitors, which is merely 2 seconds slower than that of Taycan. According to Ben Schaffer, owner of Unplugged Performance, this modified Model 3 Performance may be capable of achieving a result of 7 minutes and 30 second, if it were racing on a dry racetrack.
Unplugged Performance had replaced the Model 3 Performance with its own shock absorbers, brake, and 18-inch rims, which totaled to within US$20K according to the pricing on the retailer’s website. If the US$55K price tag of Model 3 Performance is included, the entire package will set u back below US$80K, which is rather a bargain if it means that it is able to compete with Taycan Turbo at half of the latter’s price.
▲ This Model 3 is able to achieve a result of approximately 8 minutes and 10 seconds during a non-professional testing. （Source：Misha Charoudin ）
However, it is more than just cost-performance ratio when it comes to buying cars. The Taycan is obviously better than Model 3 in terms of external design and internal craftsmanship, let alone the evident differences when the two vehicles are parked against each other. After all, public roads aren’t necessarily racetracks, and this chain of shame isn’t something that can be subverted simply from the time of a single loop for the field of luxury cars
Apart from rubbernecking on the epic showdown between Porsche and Tesla, it has been proven that existing variations of electric vehicles are more than capable of handling the intense maneuvering conditions in the Green Hell, and that merely half of the battery capacity is exhausted after the warm-up track and the Green Hell. As the technology of battery and motor continues to evolve, we are getting one step closer to a comprehensive electric vehicle competition.
Note: the results mentioned in this article were of Nürburgring Nordschleife instead of the full race.
(Photo source: Unplugged Performance)
