Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

Porsche staged 26 acceleration tests in a row to prove the Taycan could take it

Stephen Edelstein
By
1 of 5
porsche taycan electric car prototype goes 0 124 mph 26 times in a row acceleration testing
Image used with permission by copyright holder
porsche taycan electric car prototype goes 0 124 mph 26 times in a row acceleration testing
Image used with permission by copyright holder
porsche taycan electric car prototype goes 0 124 mph 26 times in a row acceleration testing
Image used with permission by copyright holder
porsche taycan electric car prototype goes 0 124 mph 26 times in a row acceleration testing
Image used with permission by copyright holder
porsche taycan electric car prototype goes 0 124 mph 26 times in a row acceleration testing
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Taycan will be Porsche’s first production electric car, so it will need to offer performance worthy of the Porsche crest. But performance isn’t just about numbers, it’s about repeatability. A quick acceleration time isn’t that impressive if a car can only do it once before needing to cool down. To ensure that wouldn’t be a problem for the Taycan, Porsche subjected a prototype to a torture test.

Recommended Videos

Porsche took the Taycan (pronounced “tie-con”) to a German airfield that once hosted zeppelin airships, where it was run from 0 to 200 kph (124 mph) and back to 0 again 26 times in a row. The test runs, which were documented by YouTube channel Fully Charged, were run in both directions to account for wind, with an average temperature of 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit), according to Porsche.

Related

The results? The average time was just under 10 seconds, with a difference of just 0.8 second between the quickest run and the slowest run, according to Porsche.

That consistency was largely down to the Taycan’s battery-cooling system, according to Porsche. Aggressive acceleration pulls a lot of power from the battery pack, causing it to heat up quickly, so dealing with that heat is crucial to making electric cars go fast (just ask Formula E race teams). Porsche claims the Taycan’s thermal management system was designed with high-performance driving in mind. In addition to keeping the 90-kilowatt-hour battery pack cool, it also provides heat in winter conditions to keep the pack at its ideal operating temperature.

Engineers’ fanatical attention to detail is apparent throughout the Taycan. The motors — one for each axle — use “hairpin winding,” in which wires are bent into a shape that looks like a hairpin, then welded in place with a laser beam. This takes up less space than conventional wiring, allowing for more electricity-conducting copper wire to be packed into a motor, according to Porsche. That not only increases horsepower and torque output, but also makes it easier to cool the motor, the automaker claims.

The Taycan can accelerate from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in less than 3.5 seconds, and has a top speed of over 250 kph (155 mph), according to Porsche. It will also employ an 800-volt charging system — the most powerful for any production car so far — which should ensure fast charging. The car has been teased since the original Mission E concept was unveiled in 2015, and is finally expected to make its public debut at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Stephen Edelstein
Stephen Edelstein
Contributing Editor
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Lamborghini’s first EV will be ‘mature’ and based on the Taycan, report says
Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster

Lamborghini has hinted that it will eventually launch an electric car, but that first all-electric model may not be one of the Italian automaker's traditional supercars. Lamborghini is planning a four-door "grand tourer" based on the Porsche Taycan, Autocar reports.

Lambo is working on a fourth model to join the Aventador and Huracán supercars and Urus SUV, Maurizio Reggiani, the automaker's research and development boss, said in an interview with Autocar. The timing of that fourth model, which won't launch for a few more years, means that it will be the "right time" for an electric powertrain, Reggiani said.

Read more
The Porsche Taycan is the first EV tuner Hennessey is putting its hands into
hennessey announces aftermarket porsche taycan parts 1

Previous

Next

Read more
Ferdinand Porsche was 100 years ahead of his time with his 1900 hybrid
porsche hybrid 100 years ago high lohner semper vivus ag

In 1900, Porsche designed the world's first functional hybrid car, the “Semper Vivus” (Latin for “always alive”). Photo courtesy of Porsche AG Image used with permission by copyright holder

It was 2010, at the famed Nürburgring, motor sports complex in Germany, when the first hybrid racer, the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, debuted. In 2015, based on lessons learned on the 911, Porsche AG fielded an endurance racer, the 919 Hybrid, which took the first of three victories in a row at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With all that success, you might think Porsche had discovered some new technology, but Porsche started with a hybrid way back in 1900. Yes, 1900.

Read more