For consistent weight, all of Emissions Analytics exhaust-
measuring test gear came along for the ride, though
(obviously) only some of it was operating. Below, driver
Jesus Flores takes on our top-secret, 88-mile test course.Reynolds and road test analyst Alan Lau
explore the Taycan’s settings. The backup
camera’s view is wildly distorted.60 MOTORTREND.COM MAY 2020P
orsche encounters bad press about as
often as the Dalai Lama does. About
the roughest things ever get is looking
too lucky after winning Le Mans (for the 19th
time) in 2017.
So when the EPA released battery range
numbers for the 2020 Taycan—201 miles for
the Turbo and 192 for the Turbo S—it was
Porsche’s engineering equivalent of the
Titanic hitting the iceberg.
Naturally, the Tesla community gloated.
The Taycan appears to be Europe’s EV strike
three after Jaguar and Audi swung and
missed with the I-Pace’s (optimistic) 234
miles and the E-Tron’s 204. Meanwhile, the
Model S Long Range Plus carries a claimed
390-mile range—nearly double the miles.
So what happens when a third party—say,
MotorTrend—goes outside the EPA’s test
cycle and performs its own instrumented
range test on the Taycan?The Turbo S’ 192-mile range can’t be
shrugged off with, “Well, the Taycan’s all
about performance anyway, not range.”
Would you buy a 911 Turbo S that stuttered
to a stop after 192 miles? The population of
fast charging stations is growing, but they’re
still sparse. And if anything, their multiminute
charge times (including the best of them)
argue for even greater EV ranges than gas
cars, so you wait at them less of ten.
But is the Taycan’s range really 201 and
192 miles? Porsche commissioned a test by
independent testing firm AMCI, which came
up with distances 37 percent (275 miles)
and 45 percent (278 miles) greater over a
mixed city/highway course, with city speeds
capped by its posted limits, highway ones
no more than 5 over, climate control in Eco
mode, and the cars measured until they
lapsed into limp mode.
Our pal Dan Edmunds drove a Taycan
Turbo on a more urban-oriented route (in
Range mode, cabin at 72 degrees, and Dan
as the single occupant) that projected 287.2
miles. On the opposite end of the spectrum,
a competitor of ours projected 209 miles
from lapping a giant oval at 75 mph.
Now it’s our turn, and we do it with proper
instrumentation. We enlisted our partner in
mileage testing, Emissions Analytics, who
has conducted 726 tests over its standard-
ized L.A. course. It’s the largest real-world
mileage-measuring program in the U.S.
(This test was completed with Continental
ProContact RX tires.)Emissions Analytics’ laboratory PEMS
instrumentation measures the quantity of
exhaust gas, and by analyzing a sample,
it can determine CO and CO2 percent-
ages and hence how much fuel is being
combusted. Of course, with an EV, that’s
zero. The analyzer still came along for the
ride as a GPS and OBD2 data-logger, letting
us record the battery’s vital state of charge
at higher resolution. The car was loaded
to the standard 400 pounds and climate
control set to 72 (though the A/C failed).
Then Jesus Flores—the solar system’s most
experienced mileage-testing driver—whirred
away on the 88-mile loop of highway and
city segments to monitor repeatability (and
allow for data-cleaning).
Here are our city, highway, and combined
ranges for the 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S:-^ Normal mode (one loop): 240/274/254
city/highway/combined miles
-^ Range mode (two loops): 243/269/254
city/highway/combined miles
Switching to Range mode dithers the
balance of city and highway a little, while
combined is right down the middle between
the high and low gutter balls to either
side. Compared to the repeatability of our
acceleration and figure-eight testing, it’s
remarkable how squishy EV ranges can be,
depending on how you test them.
Recharging at Electrify America’s fast
chargers doesn’t let you doze or settle into
a book like the old days—the Turbo S added
100 miles in 17 minutes at a 150-kW unit
(seeing a peak of 138) and 11 minutes at a
super-powerful 350-kW charger (peaking at
261). Wait times for 150 miles were 27 and 19
minutes, respectively.
But it’s long enough to declare the
Taycan’s range makes the grade by a hair—
my personal cutoff for acceptability is 250
miles of actual range. It’s comparable to the
Bolt’s and Hyundai Kona EV’s. And those two
don’t hit 60 mph in 2.4 seconds.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, what’s my range
before I stall? 254. Kim Reynolds
WE TEST THE BATTERY RANGE
of Porsche’s electric sedan after its
poor showing in government tests
FIRST TEST/TRACK TEST I 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S