Porsche Taycan Prototype Completes Gruelling 24 Hour Endurance Test At Nardo Ring

Porsche has taken their claims that the company’s first fully electric vehicle can stand up to the abuse of hard driving very, very seriously. A Taycan prototype was driven around the famous Nardo test track in Pugila, Italy for 24 consecutive hours, only taking breaks to quick charge and swap drivers.

This prototype covered 2,128.1 miles in sweltering temperatures of over 105 degrees Fahrenheit. The average speed was kept between 121 and 133mph. Some internal combustion vehicles could not complete this torture test, don’t act like you’re not impressed.

Porsche is the first traditional auto manufacturer to build a performance electric sports car. With the Taycan, Porsche is also the first to introduce an 800volt system. A similar 800volt system has been used in their 919 hybrid racing car, which has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three years in a row

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I guess it’s not surprising that the Taycan passed this test with flying colors. This system is a big step forwards in EV technology. All other electric vehicles currently operate on a 400volt system. Without going too far into the weeds of electrical theory, an 800volt system will basically give the Taycan the ability to charge in roughly half the time of any other EV. Faster charging times means more time for on-track shenanigans and giving yourself a face-lift with the instant torque that an electric motor provides.

The engineers at Porsche have gone to great lengths to insure that the Taycan can take a beating without any battery or motor overheating issues, like some early Tesla Model S and X vehicles suffered from.

A sophisticated thermal management system has been developed to not only cool the high voltage components, but also warm them to insure the most efficient charging possible. The EV YouTube channel Fully Charged was invited to perform repeated launches in the Taycan to test the durability. Over 25 0-124MPH (0-200KMH) runs were performed by Jonny Smith, with all runs under 10 seconds and only an .8 of a second differential between the quickest and “slowest” times. The world premiere of the Taycan will be on September 4th.