When the EPA published their rated range for the Porsche Taycan Turbo, everyone was surprised that it was rated at just 201 miles (323km) with a 93.4 kWh battery (83.7 kWh is usable). The Taycan Turbo S fared even worse, getting an EPA rated range of just 192 miles (308km).
Tom Moloughney of InsideEV’s had the chance to get behind the wheel of a Porsche Taycan Turbo for a 450 mile (724km) road trip from Atlanta, Georgia to Daytona Beach, Florida.
His goal was to try and test the real-world range of the EV during the trip, so he would have to restrain himself and not ‘put the pedal to the metal’ very often. Instead, he had to drive as one normally would on an extended trip, “keeping up with the flow of traffic, not gunning it too much but definitely not hypermiling“.
Porsche organized the event, where 4 journalists were invited for the drive, so Porsche also decided when and where to charge. The first charging stop was 134 miles away from their starting point. Apparently Porsche didn’t want to try and make it to the next charging station, another 96 miles (154km) away, as that would put it at 230 miles (307km) total distance, already above the EPA rated range.
As one of the Porsche employees on the drive pointed out, someone having to get towed wouldn’t exactly look good for Porsche.
“One of the Porsche reps told me he’s done that 230-mile trip on a single charge but didn’t want to risk it with journalists driving because it would really ruin the day if one of us had to be towed.“
The conditions weren’t perfect for their journey, but proved to be a good test for real-world driving. The first leg was done in rain with temperatures in the 40’s (5-10°C), with the final leg clearing up with temperatures in the 60’s (15-20°C).
Since they weren’t allowed to push the car too far in terms of battery depletion, Moloughney estimated the Porsche Taycan Turbo would have achieved around 248 miles (399km) of range per charge. Not bad considering the conditions and the EPA rated range of 201 miles (323km).
After the road trip, Moloughney called the Taycan “the best all-electric sports car available today, and one of the best cars, period“.
