Kyle Conner goes 311 miles in '25 Taycan 70mph range test

[azraeil]

I see disappointment in your comments and I was so at first watching Kyle. But then I check old 70mph range tests and here are my comparison and findings:
- 1st gen Sedan RWD, 19”: 293 miles
- 1st gen CT4, 19”: 251 miles
- 2nd gen ST4S, 21”*: 311 miles
So the ST on narrower (245/285) 21” did +24% than CT on even narrower (225/275) 19”. Battery is +12% bigger, so efficiency of the car is +12% better. It’s much better than gen1.

Some of you quoted his best trip, with similar to Kyle or better results. Kyle did kis test in both direction, so impact of elevation and wind was eliminated. I have never had the result of 19-20kWh/100km on a highway, my lowest trip consumption was 21kWh/100km with average of 100km/h. Typically I have more aylt my CT 4S.

Of course it’s not EQS. But before complaint - let’s wait for range results of sedan body.

I think the 251 miles done with the CT4 was before the major 2023 software update. Porsche says that the 2023 software update added an extra 9.3% of range so you’re looking at 270 miles after the software update.
The J1.2 has a bigger battery - by 16% so that should make the range increase to 320 miles and that is just for the battery increase. It’s supposedly added more range from other efficiency parameters so 311 done by Kyle seems a bit on the low side.

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[Caraholic]

charging improvement has zero interest in me. Every time I pull up to a 350k charger I will at most get 140 then it tappers down to a 100 pretty quickly. Typically 150’s charge faster for me than the 350. I may of stopped at one 350 that actually charged above 200. The US needs a better infrastructure this is what needs improved not the car at this stage.

 

[Hirschaj]

Every time I pull up to a 350k charger I will at most get 140 then it tappers down to a 100 pretty quickly.

Just making sure... Is your battery properly pre-conditioned when you start charging? Battery temp should be ~110ºF when you start charging in order to get the maximum rate. I consistently get > 200kW charging rates on the few road trips I do take (all within a few hundred miles of Austin TX).

 

[Caraholic]

Just making sure... Is your battery properly pre-conditioned when you start charging? Battery temp should be ~110ºF when you start charging in order to get the maximum rate. I consistently get > 200kW charging rates on the few road trips I do take (all within a few hundred miles of Austin TX).

yep always pre-conditioned and usually around 10-25% battery level.

 

[irrelevant]

charging improvement has zero interest in me. Every time I pull up to a 350k charger I will at most get 140 then it tappers down to a 100 pretty quickly. Typically 150’s charge faster for me than the 350. I may of stopped at one 350 that actually charged above 200. The US needs a better infrastructure this is what needs improved not the car at this stage.

I used to see that issue, but the last few times I've charged at different sites I've consistently seen 250 kW + up until around 50%. Preconditioning is necessary to achieve peak rates. That's another benefit of the v.2 Taycan...it doesn't seem to need any significant preconditioning unless it's below about 40º F outside...you don't have to choose between range-wasting preconditioning or slower charge rates.

I agree infrastructure needs improvement. I'm cautiously optimistic it will.

 

[Hirschaj]

Typically 150’s charge faster for me than the 350

I remember getting similar results back when I had to use these older charging stations. I have only used newer stations over the past year where all units are capable of delivering up to 350kW. It would be interesting to see your results at one of the newer stations.

 

[RAHRCR]

I’m gonna try this line at home; will report back on whether i get a frying pan to the face or not.

Disclaimer: I did say “nearly all aspects…”. Hope you are safe

 

[DCYL725]

yep always pre-conditioned and usually around 10-25% battery level.

Battery friendly charging on?

 

[Jonathan S.]

[...] I'll let you know if they open a Whole Foods in Cedar City, Ut.

Please include me on that notification, since my wife will want to visit it ASAP so as to fulfill our family's apparent goal of eating at as many Whole Foods as possible.
(During a trip to Colorado, I think we visited almost half-a-dozen Whole Foods.)

Seriously though, agreed on the utility of charging at Walmart.
After only a year of EV ownership, I might have visited Walmart more times than in the preceding decades of my life. Definitely not my preferred shopping establishment, and many patrons exhibit a distressing range of social ills among my fellow Americans, but great for utility, and certain better than most gas stations.

 

[Jonathan S.]

The US has states that are bigger than some countries, and travelling from one major population center to another can easily be 500+ miles once you get outside the coastal areas. The DCFC infrastructure for CCS vehicles isn't fully developed in the US yet, and most drivers here are used to making trips of several hundred miles by car. I know families who drive 1,000 miles each way to go to Florida (I can't understand why, for a number of reasons).

I personally don't mind stopping for 15 minutes for a quick charge...I need a restroom break after about three hours in any case.

What I don't enjoy is arriving at a DCFC and having to wait for a dispenser, which is becoming more common here. The level of ignorance here among drivers of EVs is staggering. I see so many Chevy Bolts (with peak charge rates of 55KW) plugged into the precious few "hyperfast" 350KW dispensers, when 150KW dispensers are available. Sunday I saw a Mustang Mach-e (peak charge rate 110-150KW) plugged into a 350KW, and a Genesis GV70 at the other 350KW dispenser, trickle charging at 20KW for the last 4% of battery capacity. There were 150KW stations available prior to the Mach-E's arrival...I'd been watching availability for an hour while driving to the site.

No one would care about range if DCFC were as ubiquitous, reliable, and available as gasoline stations, and the charge time was 10 minutes or less. We're a long way from that.

I'll take an airplane for a trip >300 miles. Cars are the wrong tool for that job.

Agreed with all of your points, but just wanted to let the Bolt drivers (and other slow-charging models) off the hook for charging at an ostensible 350kW EA charger instead of an available (if it really was available when the Bolt arrived) 150kW EA charger: based on both personal experience and many anecdotal accounts, a properly functioning 150kW EA charger (yes, they exist!) gets into the high triple digits, whereas (far too) many 350kW EA chargers don't get above 150kW (or even out of the double digits).

I agree that a Bolt driver (or any EV whose charging curve maxes out at 150kW or lower) should select a 150kW charger (if available), but the practical implications of a Bolt at a 350kW EA charger are small at most (especially given all the other problems at EA stations).

Also, for roundtrips > 300 miles, many itineraries that involve that much driving take far longer via plane. And just a little bit more EV range can make the difference between waiting until the destination to L2 charge while doing something else vs being stuck as you describe while waiting to DCFC en route.

 

[Jonathan S.]

My main complaint is the lack of cover from sun and rain at almost all of these sites. Who decided that was a good idea? Have none of these people ever seen a gas station? I’m fine with Walmart, I just want a damn roof.

The one Electrify Canada station I visited last summer had a nicely designed protective awning.
(Although the adjacent Walmart was closed shockingly early on a Saturday afternoon, but that was the fault of Quebec gov't regulations, not VAG. And fortunately the entire shopping complex was so utterly deserted that I was able to utilized some trees w/o triggering an international incident.)

 

[Jonathan S.]

I recognize that this makes me a snob but the Walmart charging experience is a MAJOR turnoff. I am at the place in life that I require a premium experience in nearly all facets of my life. I’d like to say that I feel bad about that but I don’t.

If I have to choose between Walmart and Elon, I will simply charge in my garage and travel in a radius that supports the gen 1 range with my Taycan.

Checklist for premium experiences during a stop to recharge or refuel:

1. Parking lot is safe (despite the unsafe personal lifestyles of many patrons).
2. Bathroom is clean (more or less).
3. Reasonably healthy and tasty food (e.g., bagels & hummus) available for quick purchase.

I'm calling that premium!
(Even if I never shop at Walmart otherwise ... except for their sunblock that is highly rated by Consumer Reports.)

 

[2P168S]

But, who wants to put 19's on a Taycan????? I live at altitude with some occasional rough weather. We can't do a RWD drive in Colorado and use the vehicle year round.

I prefer RWD for dynamic feel and I prefer 19s for both efficiency and better ride on terrible Georgia roads, even though I know the 19s are ugly.

yes I know I am a weirdo

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

But, who wants to put 19's on a Taycan?????

(raises hand slowly) In my defense, they’re winter wheels (and just great!). Also, I don’t take myself too seriously, as proven by this photo:

Back on topic, I am pleased to note my warmer weather consumption is getting very good indeed: 132mi at 52% SoC is an absolute best for me. This is back on the 20” wheels, without roofbox but with roof bars on. Previous observed max was 240 at full SoC. I am so relieved the revised Taycan did not instantly render my car obsolete.

 

[Jonathan S.]

^ Same here with the return to warmer temps. My extrapolated range yesterday over a 226-mile roundtrip was 251 miles, which is quite good considering that:

• CT (not sedan)
• 20" (not 19", although also not 21")
• CC2 tires (not the optimized rolling resistance of OEM tires)
• ~34k on the odometer (so inevitably some SoH degradation)
• more than half the miles were at ~73mph, and the remainder was very hilly (such that the extrapolated range there was 225, and back was 285)

(The GOM though apparently thinks it's still winter -- maybe because it senses the ski gear inside? -- displaying an extrapolate range of only 221 miles.)

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