“Six out of ten Porsche Taycan” ever delivered have a problem with battery management that affects and damages battery cells, requires replacement of cells and batteries, and is causing vehicle fires, according to a source working at Porsche’s headquarters in Zuffenhausen, Germany. Porsche is reportedly hiding the problem from customers and authorities and quietly replacing damaged battery cell modules without informing customers to cover up the problem. Tesla offered to help Porsche with battery management through Audi contacts years ago, but Porsche management at the time rejected any external help, saying it could handle everything internally, the source noted.

“The problem affects six of ten delivered vehicles,” the source, who could be described as a whistleblower, said.

A Risky Business

The Porsche whistleblower explained that the Taycan’s 800V high-voltage onboard charger used today does not control the charging process well enough and can overcharge some battery cells, causing them to overheat. For safety reasons, overheated battery cells are disabled and isolated from the battery pack, reducing battery capacity and thus the vehicle’s range. The problem occurs when the batteries are charged at a low AC speed of up to 7.5 KW, a common use case for all charging, such as at home or on low-speed chargers, the source said.

The 800V architecture of the Taycan, a vehicle the German automaker is proud of, has many advantages, but the strong current requires a very well-controlled charging process to avoid charging some cells faster than others. The battery cells in a BEV are always charged in parallel to shorten the charging time, but this carries the risk that some cells will be charged faster than others. If one of the many cells in a BEV is charged faster than the rest, overcharging and overheating can occur, which can lead to vehicle fires, if, for instance, an additional air leak happens.

About 1% of the 60% of vehicles affected, or about 360 Taycans out of 36,000 vehicles delivered, had a preventable vehicle, cable, or smoldering fire attributable to the problem, the whistleblower said. These are figures from Porsche’s internal statistics, which the company updates on an ongoing basis to keep track of safety issues. The reason the whistleblower, who works for Porsche in Zuffenhausen, is talking about the problem at all, risking his job and more, is that the company has decided lately not to replace the Taycan’s onboard charger, but to continue shipping vehicles and all future new Taycan models with the problematic system, which may pose a notable safety risk.
The Porsche Taycan’s charging port. (Credit: Porsche Newsroom/Twitter)Porsche uses an inexpensive onboard charger that does not control the process well, the whistleblower explained to me in detail. Fires have occurred in the Taycan battery, the source explained, due to the problem described. Porsche is reportedly aware of the problem and is working on it, but the automaker has not solved it or informed customers or authorities so far.

Instead, the company is reportedly hiding the problem for cost and reputational reasons, the source stated. This is because if acknowledged, all Taycans would require a recall and the replacement of their onboard charger, and all batteries would have to be inspected and tested and, if affected, replaced. The cost, the source said, would be in the hundreds of millions of euros and the damage to the company’s image could be even greater.

A Remarkably Short Warranty

An apparent hint of Porsche’s challenges with the Taycan’s battery could be seen in the warranty for the all-electric sports car, which happens to be one of the lowest on the market with just 60,000 km or three years if following conditions (Porsche Warranty Requirements) are not met:

Vehicles standing longer than two weeks supposed to be connected to a charger

• Customers must assure that the Taycan’s state of charge remains between 20% – 50%
• Customers must make sure that their Taycan is not exposed to continuous sunlight

Vehicles standing longer than two weeks not connected to a charger

• Customers must charge the Taycan’s battery before to 50%
• Customers must check every three months and assure SoC remains at or above 20%
• Customers must assure that their vehicle’s temperature is between 0C – 20C

While 160,000 km is an average battery warranty in the industry, Porsche confirmed to me the 100,000 km lower, 60,000 km warranty and its restrictions.

It is a well-known risk in the industry that when charging BEVs, an imbalance in the battery cells can lead to a sealed, encapsulated, and deactivated cell that can then overheat and cause battery damage and even fires if, for example, there is an additional leak in the battery box through which air can enter. Porsche’s 800V high-voltage architecture is more vulnerable in this regard than a low-voltage architecture such as Tesla’s 400V, or what other manufacturers use. Most of the BEV battery fire-related problems recorded in the past typically occurred in low-cost BEVs that lack sophisticated battery management systems or onboard chargers. Porsche has cut costs for its premium Taycan BEV, which poses a risk to customers, according to the whistleblower.
The Porsche Taycan’s battery pack. (Credit: @PorscheTime/Twitter)

Costs and Savings

The cell damage can be repaired at great expense, but in most cases, Porsche chooses not to, the whistleblower said. To compensate for the vehicle’s reduced range due to encapsulated and deactivated battery cells, Porsche in many cases reportedly unlocks unused, reserved battery capacity, effectively tricking customers into thinking everything has been fixed, even though the affected cells are no longer in use and remain a potential risk, the source said. Customers who don’t know that a cell in their battery has a problem may not even recognize the reduced range in their Taycans because Porsche releases unused battery capacity and therefore the problem is not detected at all from them. This could explain why the number of the reported battery problems on the Taycan shared by the media is much lower than 60%.

For all vehicles Porsche informs needing a repair, the customer is charged 600 euros/cells module, although the internal labor cost is just 26 euros, the whistleblower said. Porsche charges customers even though no repair has taken place at all but just a battery module cell exchange, the source added. A Taycan has 33 battery modules with 12 cells each adding it up to a total of 396 total cells. Issues that happen and should be covered by warranty are, with regards to labor cost, paid by the customer, creating high service and maintenance profits for Porsche.

Considering the battery degradation that all BEVs experience sooner or later, the 60% Taycan customers who have the battery problem described by the whistleblower will have a lower total battery capacity than paid for after the so-called “repair” and will experience an earlier reduction in range and thus a reduction in vehicle value. If the problem of overcharging the onboard charging cell occurs more frequently, the damage can accumulate to the point where a complete battery replacement is required, according to the whistleblower. If what the source reported is correct over time, all 40% Taycans not yet affected by the issue may one day experience the same problem, depending on the charging behavior of their owners.

To pretend to have done a repair that never happened and accept a lower battery capacity caused by a cheap Porsche onboard charger without informing the customer would be misleading, to say the least. Worse, the replaced battery cells and modules are susceptible to the same problem, and owners accustomed to charging at home with AC power up to 7.5 KW may soon be faced with the same problem again after their battery packs have been “repaired.” Disregarding the cost and depreciation is bad, but the safety issue is the most serious problem of all and should be, based on the information my source shared, investigated by authorities in all countries where the Taycan is shipped.
A Porsche Taycan RWD displayed in a showroom. (Credit: Ma. Claribelle Deveza)

An Invisible Fix

A different, more sophisticated charger for an extra 70 euros from the same supplier with a good reputation would solve the problem, but Porsche has so far decided against the hardware change, according to my sources. What sounds like a small additional cost is not small in the automotive industry, where target costs are a critical measure of team success and on which bonuses depend. The recent decision of Porsche not to use a better more sophisticated charger that would solve the problem for the foreseeable future made the source a whistleblower who rightly saw this as an unacceptable risk to customers.

The Taycan vehicles experiencing the charging problems are divided into three groups by Porsche and dealers, the whistleblower stated. Dealerships are under strict NDA and face losing their Porsche certification if they talk about the practice that the automaker is executing for years.

Affected Taycans are categorized as:

(a) Green – repair

b) Yellow – review with Porsche internal technical department

c) Red – replacement

All vehicles that fall into the “Red” category receive a new battery module or entire battery with spare parts that are available within 24 hours. Not all customers with “Red” designations are informed that the cell module had been replaced on their Taycan, the whistleblower said. The newly installed battery is reportedly “read out” and the data is displayed to the customers who are informed, claiming that it is data from the old battery after the “repair.” This, according to the source, effectively gives false proof that everything has been “fixed”. The new battery is then assigned to the old serial number, and this is how Porsche erases all traces that indicate fraud, the whistleblower said. That’s why it’s hard to prove that Porsche is cheating customers and misleading the public, the source explained to me. While vehicles designated as “Green” had been “fixed,” cars designated as “Yellow” are still undecided and need to be investigated.

If the authorities demand a Taycan recall and replacement of all onboard chargers and batteries, the associated costs will be in the hundreds of millions of euros the source stated. Provided that the whistleblower’s information is accurate, about 60,000 Taycans delivered so far would have to be recalled worldwide, with costly repairs, testing and hardware modifications. The reputational damage would be high and, like the VW Group cheating scandal, a major negative for the iconic automaker that claims safety comes first.

In the past, some Taycan battery fires, such as the one in a garage in the US state of Florida in early 2020 that occurred during nighttime charging, were never fully resolved after investigations began. My source said that Taycan fires were directly attributable to the problem with the charger and could have been prevented if Porsche had used a more expensive, higher-quality charger, as one would expect from a premium automaker. A small deviation during the charging process of only 0.1% can easily cause a vehicle fire when overcharged by 1%, my source said. The supplier has a reputable name, but a cheap charger was chosen to keep costs down.
Porsche’s Zuffenhausen site. (Credit: Teslarati)Teslarati reached out to Porsche to comment on the whistleblower’s claims and received following feedback on November 23:

“I checked with our R+D department in Weissach and all of the issues addressed lack any basis. Based on this information we can´t confirm any of the issues,” a spokesperson from Porsche said.

The source was confronted with the feedback from Porsche and stated in another phone call that only a very small team is involved in the matter, and it is no surprise for him that many within the automaker do not know about the described issues. Many more details were revealed, but they are not included in this article to protect the source. The source explained that in previous cases, Porsche made sure that employees who leaked information never got a job in the industry again.

Other sources informed me years ago that during the development of the Taycan, meeting target costs was a large challenge and that this may have led to the unwise decision to choose a cheap charger. Currently, the VW Group’s BEVs are lower-margin compared to the company’s ICE models and not all are positive, creating strong pressure from management to reduce costs. Given the Taycan’s high price and good sales figures, it is reasonable to assume that it is profitable, but it may not generate as high margins as the company’s iconic ICE models.

The whistleblower also said that years ago, Tesla offered to help Porsche with its battery management system, but the German automaker declined the offer. Around three years ago, Porsche asked Tesla through Audi contacts if they could help then, but at the time, Tesla declined. My source said it was pure arrogance on Porsche’s part that led to today’s problems, as Tesla had been willing to help them.

Previous problems with Taycan batteries led to a preliminary investigation by the US NHTSA in early 2021 into the sudden discharge of the 12V battery, which could result in the vehicle coming to a sudden stop. The NHTSA noted nine official complaints from Taycan owners, and Porsche recalled 43,000 Taycans to repair shops at that time. Taycan forum members report a variety of different battery problems as well as the media (e.g. a Taycan burned down in Florida), that may or may not be related to what my source reported. Overall, if we add all together, it appears that battery problems with the Taycan are not uncommon and with more age of batteries and vehicles, more issues may be reported. From what the whistleblower explained, the strategy from Porsche seems to be to solve or isolate technical issues without public notice.

The good news for the Audi e-tron GT that is produced on the same VW PPE BEV platform as the Taycan and shares many parts with it, is that Audi opted for a different and better onboard charger. The described problem is not existent with the e-tron GT, the source told me, but it’s unclear why Porsche isn’t learning from the Audi team in that respect.
A Porsche Taycan being towed. (Credit: Agero/Vimeo)

A Note from the Author

As a writer, I do my best to thoroughly qualify every source, and I choose not to publish a story if there is any doubt about the credibility of the information or the source. I have direct contact with the person that provided the information in this article, know his identity and profession, had several calls and exchanges with him and know people who have met him in person.

My intent is not to disseminate misleading or sensational information, and this is a guiding principle for all my work. Since my source has passed my credibility check through multiple channels and has repeatedly provided many in-depth technical details on the issue, I feel it is my duty to inform the public with this article while I don’t have hard evidence and therefore can’t confirm the information to be right. According to the information provided by the whistleblower, Porsche has decided to take a big risk on the health of its customers for cost, profit and reputation reasons.

As a German who is proud of the heritage of the automotive industry in my home country, and as a former Porsche customer, I am truly shocked by what the whistleblower has told me. The cheating scandal has changed the culture in the German automotive industry many have told me for years, but it looks like the same structural problems remain and lead the industry right into the next big scandal.

Disclaimer

The Author, Alex Voigt does not own or had ever any Porsche or VW Group stock, derivates or other direct or indirect investments in the company. There has been never any business relationship between the author, Porsche, and the VW Group. The original and first clues to this exclusive and disturbing story came from Christoph Krachten, who came across it while researching his German best-selling book about Tesla.

LOS ANGELES – Before driving the 2022 Porsche Taycan GTS on Big Willow and discovering that the electric sedan is pure Porsche on the track, we had to get there first. For that, we'd get behind the wheel of the other Taycan GTS, the new Sport Turismo wagon. Resplendent in Carmine Red paint, accented in GTS gloss black trim and free from the Taycan Cross Turismo's fender flares and meager attempts at ruggedness, the GTS Sport Turismo is one sexy machine. You want to ogle it as much as you want to drive it, and we really wanted to drive it. So we did.

Normally, to get from downtown L.A. to verdant Rosamond, Calif., you'd take the 5 to the 14 and just get it over with, but the GTS Sport Turismo called for the long way. We'd call it the "scenic route," but that would imply going slow enough or stopping at some point to actually admire the mountainous scenery. Angeles Crest Highway gets mentioned a lot for reasons beyond its proximity to the Los Angeles automotive press – it's a phenomenal driver's road that seems to have been built and maintained for the express purpose of being a phenomenal driver's road. And everyone hauls ass on it like they've had to pee since Palmdale, from Porsches to Priuses.

OK, maybe not everyone, such as the guy in the similarly red Tesla Model S Plaid that pulled alongside us as we made our way up the long, steep right-hand sweeper at the base of Angeles Crest. At first, he seemed like he wanted to show off his Plaidness and tried to overtake the Sport Turismo in the right lane. We let him, the world is not our race track, and it would be interesting to see the pace the two supposed electric competitors would manage. Unfortunately, and perhaps content in his false victory, Mr. Plaid must've selected Parade Mode (that's something, right?) and dawdled through the earliest bits of Angeles Crest. We've gotten stuck behind septic trucks going faster. He could've just bought a Leaf. Drive paused, time for pictures.

The GTS effectively splits the performance difference between the Taycan 4S and Taycan Turbo, including the actual motors used and consequent output. The front motor is shared with the 4S, while the rear is upgraded to the Turbo unit for a grand total of 590 horsepower. That's right in the middle of its respective motor-donating siblings, and results in a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds that's similarly in between the 3.8 seconds for the 4S and 3.0 for the Turbo. As with every Taycan, there's a unique two-speed transmission at the rear (every other EV besides the mechanically related Audi E-Tron GT has one-speed units) intended for improved efficiency at ultra-high Autobahn speeds. Special to the GTS is a louder, deeper artificial sound automatically engaged in Sport Plus mode, but is selectable elsewhere.

When you floor the accelerator, for instance after taking pictures of the vehicle’s back seat, the GTS Sport Turismo smoothly plants you into the firm 18-way adaptive sport seats, upshifting at around 55 mph in a way that's oddly comforting in its familiarity. That GTS-specific artificial powertrain noise actually enhances the experience, and seems more authentic than other fake EV noises as it sounds like it emanates from roughly where the rear motor would be. Using Launch Control would probably deliver a more violent, neck-snapping thwack, but we'll leave such frivolous showcases for Mr. Plaid. This car is about what happens after the launch.

Although the suspension componentry is shared with the 4S, the calibration and tuning are unique to the GTS. Porsche's brake-based Torque Vectoring Plus comes standard, and our test car had the optional rear-wheel steering that rotates the back wheels by as much as 7 degrees (the norm is 5 degrees). The brakes are upgraded to a Turbo-matching 390 mm up front from the 360-mm discs in the 4S. Add it all up, and what you get is the most driver-oriented Porsche Taycan, the connoisseurs' choice, the one most intended for roads like Angeles Crest (and the track) where ample precision and driving enjoyment are added without going for the speed-and-power overkill experience of the Turbo. It’s a recipe followed throughout the Porsche range with other GTS models.

[img]data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==[/img]

How much of an improvement or difference it makes relative to other Taycans is open for debate, as another wasn't on hand at Angeles Crest, but as is, the GTS Sport Turismo displays awe-inspiring cornering ability. The all-wheel drive, the ultra-low center of gravity, the suspension and computer wizardry, the tire grip, etc. all amount to a car that remains resolutely neutral and glued to the pavement. There's not a whisper of understeer or oversteer. You can just keep pushing, pushing, pushing, and it keeps slinging through corners like the laws of physics are merely suggestions. Like the speed limit on Angeles Crest, which is presumably something.

Porsche's exceptional steering sorcery is found in the Taycan GTS just as it is in the brand's sports cars, free from any mode adjustments or overt speed-dependent changes in effort or response. It contributes a tight, eager turn-in and remains wonderfully communicative as the tires load up mid-turn. The rear-wheel steering clearly contributes to its agility, but only in slower, more technical corners is it blatant enough to be detected.

The Taycan is a big and very heavy car, but it doesn't feel it behind the wheel. You feel low, encased and part of the process. It just feels like a driver's car, like something you'd take out just for the hell of it as opposed to a high-dollar EV daily driver that can do surprising things on the weekend. The GTS could be your toy.

And yet, unlike so many automotive toys, the GTS delivers truly astonishing ride quality. It didn't even beat us up in the most aggressive Sport Plus mode on rougher patches of Angeles Crest. In Normal mode on the stretches of highway we did inevitably take, it was shockingly drive-all-day comfortable.



Let us also not forget that the Sport Turismo is a wagon, with a larger and more accessible trunk than the sedan. It also gains about 2 inches of rear headroom, which makes an appreciable difference. And although the GTS Sport Turismo does not get the various Cross Turismo models' extra 20-30 mm lift for greater off-road ground clearance, it does enjoy superior aerodynamics and therefore range as a result (more on that in a moment). You can still outfit it with a power, GPS-linked front-end lift for steep driveways.

Inside, nearly every centimeter gets covered in black "Race-Tex" faux suede, and in such excess, it all looks a bit cheap, like well-worn towel. Happily, Porsche's enormous options list is there to swap out the full Race-Tex treatment for leather or even just a different color. The rest of the Taycan's comfort, convenience and customization menu is available, too.

The GTS shares its 93.4-kWh Performance Battery Pack Plus and 800-volt architecture with the Turbo and Turbo S. Official range estimates still haven't been announced, but something in the range between 212 and 225 miles is likely. As Dan Edmunds discovered with the Taycan Turbo and Taycan 4 Cross Turismo, however, you can expect to do much better than that. You can also expect a quick recharge as long as you can find an open 350-kilowatt charger as we did in a busy Walmart parking lot on the drive back from Willow Springs. Well, quick in that it only took about six minutes to get from 33 remaining miles up to 124, an amount that greatly exceeded the electron splash needed to get us the rest of the way back downtown. It actually took longer to get in and out of the damn parking lot. Seriously, these fast chargers in malls need a rethink – there's a reason Shells and Chevrons are placed right next to the highway and not in the middle of ginormous shopping complexes.

At the end of the literal day, the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo sat at the valet stand back in downtown L.A. having completed a comfortable, stress-free cruise and a drive on one of the world's greatest driving roads that was just as fun and just as memorable as the last car we drove there: the mighty Porsche 911 GT3 Touring. They are different to be sure, but the experience was equally special. This dual nature, paired with its all-electric propulsion, puts the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo deep into the realm of "the only car you'll ever need." You know, like a VW GTI, but $134,650. And when you add up the price of a Macan, a Cayman and, um, a VW ID.4, it's actually cheaper. So there, totally a bargain, too.

A sign of changing times, the Porsche Taycan has not only managed to outsell the Panamera in the United States, but it did by a ratio of 2 to 1. The electric sedan and wagon duo generated a total of 9,419 sales in 2021. The gasoline-fueled model also available in the same two body styles racked up 4,257 sales or 10 percent more than in 2020.

Sales of the Taycan more than doubled compared to the year before, up to the point the EV almost beat the 911. The two models traded places in previous quarters, but the rear-engined sports car ultimately came out ahead with 10,042 deliveries or 14 percent more than in 2020. As for the 718 lineup with the Boxster/Cayman and all their derivatives, 4,292 were sold last year (+25 percent), meaning the Taycan was more than twice as popular.

Needless to say, the SUVs remained the cash cow for Porsche Cars North America in 2021. The midsize Cayenne was purchased by 17,299 customers to grab the second spot in the sales chart. Once again, the smaller Macan was by far the #1, with no fewer than 24,716 units sold. In total, 70,025 vehicles were delivered in the last 12 months, allowing PCNA to set a new annual record. Demand was up by 22 percent compared to the year before and by 14 above the previous record-setting 2019.

EV share rose to 13.5 percent, and corroborated with the plug-in hybrids, 17 percent of all vehicles sold last year were electrified. With the arrival of the next-generation, electric-only Macan towards the end of next year or early 2023, the future is looking bright for Porsche. The current gas model will stick around for a while before being replaced altogether by the EV.

A larger, three-row SUV positioned above the Cayenne is rumored to hit the market in the second half of the decade with a plug-in hybrid powertrain and an all-new design.

Six out of ten Porsche Taycan” ever delivered have a problem with battery management that affects and damages battery cells, requires replacement of cells and batteries, and is causing vehicle fires, according to a source working at Porsche’s headquarters in Zuffenhausen, Germany.

Porsche has just bagged the Nurburgring Nordschleife lap record for production electric vehicles with the ultra-fast Taycan Turbo S.
6 photos
With development driver Lars Kern behind the wheel and fitted with the new Performance Kit and the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC), the Taycan Turbo S completed the 20.8-kilometer (12.9-mile) long version of the German racetrack in just 7 minutes and 33.3 seconds.

“We’re delighted that the Nurburgring record for electric cars is back in Porsche hands,” said the Model Line Taycan Vice President, Kevin Giek. “This lap time not only shows how much potential lies in our new performance kit, but also confirms once again the sports car genes of the Taycan.”

The record was verified by a notary and confirmed that the car in question was a standard production model by TUV Rheinland. But it wasn’t bone stock, you see, because aside from the aforementioned upgrades, it also featured a roll cage and racing seats to keep the driver safe in case something went wrong.

As for the new Performance Kit, it brings 21-inch RS-Spyder wheels, with street-legal Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires wrapped around them, which are now available as an option for the Taycan, and have a compound similar to racing tires. Working in concert with the new rubber is the Porsche 4D Chassis Control, a system that analyzes and synchronizes the chassis elements in real-time, thus making the Taycan Turbo S even faster.

Offered through Porsche Tequipment, the Performance Kit can only be had in Germany at the time and is limited to the 2023 Taycan Turbo S. It should become available from the end of the year and will be retrofitted in the brand’s workshops in Zuffenhausen. Pricing is set at €13,377.32 (equal to $13,662), and it includes tax and transport to and from the factory. Since this is an OEM option, the manufacturer’s warranty will not be affected.

Porsche Taycan recently received a software update promising to improve range, among other things. Curious to see how much improvement we’re talking about, the guys at InsideEVs have put the updated Taycan through the famous 70-mph range test.
11 photos

Despite skepticism, the electric Taycan proved one of the most successful Porsche models, with more than 75,000 units sold since its launch in 2019. It came into the market as a sportier challenger to Tesla Model S and lived up to its promises, beating the American sedan on the racetrack. Later, Tesla accepted the challenge and significantly improved the Model S, but that’s beside the point. What matters is that the Porsche Taycan has also evolved, and a recent software update brought many improvements to the performance EV.

Chief among them was the range, which is excellent news for Porsche Taycan owners. The longest-range Taycan is the RWD variant in base trim ,which, according to the EPA, is rated at 225 miles (362 km). That’s precisely the model that InsideEVs got to test. Thankfully, they had the figures for the previous version as well. This allows for an almost like-for-like comparison, although many variables influence a vehicle’s range.

Porsche promises the most significant range improvements for the AWD versions of Taycan, thanks to decoupling and de-energizing the front electric motor when not needed. With only one electric motor at the rear, the rear-wheel-drive Taycan should still see some improvements, but not as big. This is because even the one-motor version gets freewheeling to reduce frictional drag while coasting.

The 70-mph range test was done on a 2022 Porsche Taycan with the 2023 software update. A similar test was performed in November 2021 on the same car version. Without the update, the test returned a range of 297.3 miles (478 km). It’s significantly higher than the EPA findings, which is typical for the Taycan. The new software improved the range, and the InsideEVs test showed the car can travel 305.6 miles (492 km) on a full battery. It’s not groundbreaking, but an improvement nevertheless, especially considering it was windy and the topography was more taxing this time.

Porsche has given the Taycan a particularly extensive update. The new versions have more power, more range, accelerate quicker and charge faster with greater stability. Style Porsche has also sharpened the design and more strongly differentiated the Turbo models. All Taycan versions feature an even more extensive standard equipment list and come with the latest generation of the Porsche Driver Experience with an improved display and control concept.

All three body variants will feature the numerous modifications from the date of launch - the Taycan sports sedan, the versatile Taycan Cross Turismo, which is available with an off-road package, and the sporting-yet-practical Taycan Sport Turismo. In each case, four powertrain options are available, with rear- and all-wheel drive variants. The revised versions will arrive at Porsche Centres from the spring of 2024.

On the path to series production, development engineers and test drivers in camouflaged test cars have covered more than 3.6 million kilometres around the world to keep improving the first all-electric sports car from Porsche. The sports car manufacturer has produced almost 150,000 examples of the Taycan. The most important individual markets for the Taycan are currently the US, the UK, Germany and China.

"We ushered in the new era of e-mobility with the Taycan at the end of 2019. It immediately proved to be a game changer and innovative pioneer in the e-vehicle segment," says head of the model line, Kevin Giek. "We are now continuing this success story with the extensively updated Taycan. The model line has reached new heights in terms of performance, with exceptional driving dynamics and driving pleasure. At the same time, we were able to significantly improve efficiency, range, day-to-day usability and comfort."

Even higher performance

All updated models accelerate much faster than their predecessors. Two examples from both ends of the portfolio: as sports sedans, the Taycan and Taycan Turbo S reach the 100 km/h mark from a standstill in just 4.8 and 2.4 seconds respectively. This makes them 0.6 and 0.4 seconds faster than their predecessors.

With the new push-to-pass function in the Sport Chrono package, a boost of up to 70 kW, depending on the model, can be called upon for 10 seconds at the touch of a button. The increased acceleration rates are generally the result of higher system output. For example, the base Taycan delivers 60 kW more than before. In the Taycan Turbo S, it's an additional 140 kW with Launch Control. This increases the system output of the top model to 700 kW/952 PS.

More than 35 per cent more range compared to the predecessor

Depending on the body variant and engine, the WLTP range has increased to up to 678 km, an increase of 175 km or 35 per cent. The updated Taycan not only requires fewer charging stops on long trips than its predecessor, but it also recharges faster: at 800-volt DC charging stations, for example, it can be charged at up to 320 kW. That's 50 kW more than before. The fast-charging window of the new performance battery has been significantly expanded. This means that charging capacities of more than 300 kW can be sustained for up to five minutes, and very high charging capacities can be achieved more quickly, even at low temperatures.

Depending on an individual's driving style, among other variables, this can halve the time required to go from a 10 to an 80 per cent charge compared to the predecessor car. In the first-generation Taycan, the charging time from 10 to 80 per cent SOC at 15 degrees Celsius is 37 minutes. Under the same conditions, the updated Taycan takes just 18 minutes despite its larger battery capacity. The Performance Battery Plus now has a gross capacity of 105 kWh, increased from 93 kWh.

New active chassis

All updated Taycan models come with adaptive air suspension as standard. The new Porsche Active Ride suspension can be ordered as an option for the all-wheel drive versions. This system offers an unprecedented bandwidth between driving comfort and driving dynamics.

The suspension keeps the body of the Taycan level at all times, even during dynamic braking, steering and acceleration manoeuvres. With a smooth ride, the system absorbs bumps almost completely. In dynamic driving situations, the Porsche Active Ride suspension ensures an almost perfect connection to the road thanks to a balanced distribution of wheel loads. If the appropriate mode is activated, the suspension can compensate for pitching and rolling motions in order to reduce the acceleration forces acting on the occupants.

Extensive efficiency measures

The simultaneous improvement of performance and efficiency is down to a number of factors: an advanced powertrain with a new rear-axle motor with up to 80 kW more power than its predecessor on all models, a modified pulse inverter with optimised software, more powerful batteries, revised thermal management, a next-generation heat pump and a modified recuperation and all-wheel-drive strategy.

The maximum recuperation capacity during deceleration from high speeds has increased by more than 30 per cent from 290 to up to 400 kW. All variants now come as standard with aerodynamically optimised wheels and reduced-rolling-resistance tyres. New 21-inch wheels and tyres were specially developed for this purpose.

Significantly improved equipment with less weight

Although the models weigh up to 15 kilograms less, the standard equipment is even more extensive than before. Ambient lighting, ParkAssist with reversing camera, electrically folding exterior mirrors with mirror surround lighting, heated front seats, Porsche Intelligent Range Manager (PIRM), heat pump with a new cooling system, smartphone tray for wireless charging, electric charging ports on the driver and front passenger sides, Drive Mode switch and Power Steering Plus are all now standard features.

The Taycan base models are now also equipped with adaptive air suspension and aluminium door sill protectors as standard. In addition to the upgraded equipment, the improved product specification includes a battery with increased capacity but with a reduced weight.

Even more attractive design

With new front- and rear-end styling with new headlights and tail lights, the experts at Style Porsche have further honed the clean, purist design of the Taycan. The new front wings and the flatter headlights give even greater emphasis to the width of the Taycan.

The new headlights feature high-resolution HD matrix technology with detailed optics and now display the brand's characteristic four-point graphics at night. The Porsche logo in the rear light strip features a three-dimensional, glass-look design. An illuminated version of this is available for the first time, featuring welcome/leaving animations.

Among other notable features, the accent colour Turbonite makes the Turbo and Turbo S models stand out more distinctively from the other versions in both the exterior and interior.

Updated control and display concept

The instrument cluster, central display and optional passenger display feature an optimised user interface with additional functions. The mode switch on the steering wheel now comes as standard. For Taycan models equipped with the Sport Chrono package and the Performance Battery Plus, there is a special push-to-pass button on the mode switch.

Using the new control lever on the left behind the steering wheel, control of the driver assistance systems is even more intuitive. Apple CarPlay has been more deeply integrated into the vehicle displays and functions. The new In-Car Video function enables video streaming on the central display and the passenger display.