The number one thing prospective EV buyers want to know is how far a battery-powered car will travel on a full charge.
Yes, range anxiety remains a thing despite major advancements in battery and fast charging technology. So if the Porsche Taycan 4S is on your shopping shortlist, you need to watch this range test performed by UK’s electric vehicle specialist RSymons RSEV.
To put it simply, these guys charged the Taycan 4S’s optional 93.4-kWh battery to 100% and then drove it at the speed limit (where traffic allowed it) to see exactly how far it can go on a single charge. This is interesting because it’s not one of those hypermiling experiments where the car crawls along at ridiculously low speeds to maximise range.
Gallery: Evaluation: Porsche Taycan 4S
The only compromise (so to speak) the team made was to put the Taycan 4S in Range mode on the motorway and cruise at the speed limit. To be fair, most typical users probably do the same because there’s not much fun to be had on a motorway anyway—unless it’s called the Autobahn.
Besides driving at the speed limit, the team kept the climate control and the sound system on at all times to make the test as relevant as possible for the average user. After all, most people do not want to trade comfort for driving range.
So, how many miles did the Taycan 4S cover until its battery ran completely dry? That would be 259.2 miles (417.1 kilometres), which is bang in the middle of the official estimate of 242–288 miles (389–463 km) for the Taycan 4S with the optional Performance Battery Plus. It’s essential to note that the trip’s average speed was a respectable 57 mph (92 km/h), which means the test took place mostly outside the city.
What’s more interesting is the time it took for the battery to be replenished to 80% using a 350 kW fast charger: 21 minutes! If you have more questions, like what exactly happened when the battery got to 0% or what was the maximum charge speed, the video has all those answers (and more).
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Source: RSymons RSEV/YouTube