Tesla has some of the best electric cars in the world right now, and the company dominates the electric car sales in North America, according to InsideEVs. The company has essentially revolutionized the electric car market (and not with supercars, either).
Despite this, The Los Angeles Times reported that the number of EV sales isn’t going up. What does that mean? Automakers need to beat Tesla at its own game or appeal to a new group of car buyers that hadn’t considered an electric car before. These new entrants into the EV market are often called “Tesla Killers.”
There are plenty of new electric vehicles out there in 2020, but of the ones that have popped up, these are the three that I see really challenging Tesla on its home turf.
Porsche Taycan Turbo & Turbo S
The Porsche Taycan Turbo and Turbo S are the cars that Tesla needs to be most scared of right now. The two different versions of the same car are killer machines, powerful and well-built with handling that even top dog Tesla Model S can’t beat.
The Turbo version of the car makes 616 hp (670 hp with overboost) and 626 lb-ft of torque thanks to a 460 kW system. The Turbo version of the car can do 0-60 mph in three seconds flat.
The Turbo S version is even more impressive. The vehicle makes 616 hp (750 hp with overboost) 774 lb-ft of torque thanks to the same 460 kW system. The Turbo S version of the car can do a 0-60 mph run in 2.6 seconds. The top speed for both is 161 mph.
The range for the models is 256 miles. When it comes to charging, both models take 10.5 hours on regular alternating current, 93 minutes on direct current with 50kW to 80 percent of the battery capacity, and 22.5 minutes on direct-current at maximum power to 80 percent of the battery capacity.
The Taycan’s price is $150,900 for the Turbo and $185,000 for the Turbo S. As you can tell, this price is higher than the Tesla, but the Porsche offers an experience that’s different and some would say better than the Tesla Model S.
Polestar 2
The Polestar 2 is a five-door fastback that looks as sleek and elegant as any of Volvo’s gas models. The Polestar brand is the company’s electric branch. And the Polestar 2 is the second model that the company has put together. It should come out in 2020.
The model features the Compact Modular Architecture, which is also shared with the Volvo XC40. The model features two electric motors that together put out 402 horsepower and 487 lb-ft of torque. The car can do a 0-60 mph run in 4.7 seconds. The top speed has not yet been released.
In terms of range, the Polestar 2 can do 275 miles. Polestar uses a battery that is a unit in 78 kWh in 27 modules. The company says it will take approximately eight to 10 hours to charge the car overnight. If you connect a car to a fast charger, the battery can go from 10 percent to 80 percent in about 30 minutes.
The car has a starting price of $63,000, which makes it seriously competitive with Tesla’s models. The company also has a lot of innovative materials, like it’s Vegan interior materials that feel leather-like but isn’t, which helps it stand out from the other models out there.
Mini Cooper SE
The Mini Cooper SE might not be able to match the range of the other cars here, but the car has plenty of other merits that should honestly pull some buyers from Tesla. Pair the model’s performance and with its low price tag and you have a real winner.
The Mini Cooper SE features the same electric motor as the BMW i3. The motor makes 181 hp and 199 lb-ft of torque. The model makes it from 0-60 mph in under 7 seconds. The Mini’s top speed is 93 mph.
Now for the disappointing part of this. The Mini Cooper SE is only good for 110 miles of range per charge. With fast charging, you can get the battery to 80 percent capacity in just 36 minutes. With a regular household charger, it takes eight hours to hit a full charge. With a Level 2 charger, you’re looking at four hours to a full charge.
Now for the good news, the Mini Cooper SE costs just $29,900. With the $7,500 tax credit that drops to $22,400, which makes it one of the most affordable options out there right now. This challenger certainly won’t take on the Tesla Model S, but it could be a decent alternative to the Tesla Model 3, as long as there was another vehicle in your household for road trips.
