Porsche Taycan Is Getting Better Range Than What We First Thought
Back when the Taycan was first being driven outside of Porsche’s facilities, specifically by journalists, the big questions started to arise about its own special EV capabilities. How much power, how expensive for this package, and most prominently, how much range it will get.
Porsche was visibly reluctant to release their EPA rated test numbers for the Taycan and even insisted on putting their own range test numbers in the press releases to provide a counterweight for the less than impressive 200 miles of estimated range from the EPA.
Here is where the played out performance comparisons of the Model S vs. the Taycan got actually meaningful. Tesla’s range technology was simply better than Porsche’s. They have been doing it for years now and Porsche’s freshman effort in the EV game fell below the bar, which prompted journalists to eat some of their words about their “Tesla Killer” Porsche.
However, the Taycan has circulated so much of our media and undergone so many tests that it seems our second guesses about its range may require a third guess. Just recently, the new-gen Porsche has proven its worth a little more in the range department, posting several improved real-world numbers than before.
Before diving into the numbers we must note that the EPA’s numbers, while they are federally official, are not always perfect. Similar, are all the numbers that journalists with press cars get, but a significant pattern has risen with these tests that forces us to take another look.
2 key tests have come about in the recent week regarding the EV’s range. Autoblog, an American automotive news website, recently conducted their real-world test of the Taycan. Multiple laps of their chosen series of roads proved unlike anything we have seen to date. A 287 mile range being their result. While this number is still less impressive than Tesla's 350 mile range, the comparison goes much deeper in reality.
While the the EPA number for the Taycan has proven to be inaccurate, so has the Tesla’s, just in a different way. Car and Driver, well known auto magazine, also recently came up with some surprising numbers on not only the Taycan’s range, but the Tesla’s too. The Model S’s numbers came to an underwhelming 222 miles of range compared to the 201 of the Taycan.
Obviously it was a very different test result than Autoblog, but it brings up an important point. The Tesla doesn’t get the real-world range that the EPA says it will, in fact it scored over 110 miles under its previously estimated figures, making the two cars even more closely matched.
The new Taycan Turismo Sport that has been spotted in snow testing recently could now be a real problem for the American-based car company. With Porsche’s wagon Taycan and soon coming electric Macan/Cayenne, they could gain some valuable ground on Tesla’s limited production line if they keep developing their cars range capabilities.
See you in my next story where I discuss how Porsche Macan gas has only 3 more years before turning to becoming an electric car.
Max Larsen is the Porsche reporter at Torque News. Since he was 15 years old Max was building old cars and selling them for profit, spawning his love for cars. He has been around Porsches his entire life. His grandpa had several 911s and he owned a Porsche 944 when he was younger, which made the auto-shop class cars a lot simpler. Reading old car magazines and seeing press cars at shows gave he the passion to write and pursue the industry. He is currently studying for Journalism at Western Washington University and writing for the racing team there locally. Follow Max on Torque News Porsche and on Twitter at @maxlarsencars. Search Torque News Porsche for daily Porsche news coverage by our expert automotive reporters.
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