Porsche EVs to soon offer 500km-plus range

Battery-electric Porsche cars will soon travel a lot further on a charge as the company works to improve the appeal of its fast-growing EV line-up.

During a recent Taycan Cross Turismo adventure across the Australian Outback, Porsche’s global spokesperson for Taycan and electromobility Mayk Wienkötter told carsales that future EVs from the brand will have longer driving ranges.

He nominated “500km of real-world range” for future Porsche EVs as the German car-maker feeds the learnings from four years of Porsche Taycan sales into future models.

“The cars have to have more range, especially when they’re four-door versions and might work as the only car in the family,” said Wienkötter.

The EV range of the Taycan and Taycan Cross Turismo spreads from 403km for the basic Taycan up to 485km for the Taycan GTS.

As with all EV claims, though – which are tested to a government standard – what occurs in the real world is generally different to what happens during testing.

Many EV drivers find they need to shave at least 10 per cent off the expected range.

All of which suggests that Porsche will add 10 to 20 per cent to the driving range of its upcoming EVs, something that will likely come down to advances in battery technology and improvements to efficiency across various facets, including aerodynamics and the electric drive unit.

Porsche says 80 per cent of its sales will be battery-electric by 2030, with most of that coming from SUVs including the Macan, Cayenne and upcoming large SUV currently codenamed K1.

The Macan EV is first of those to arrive and should be in dealerships around mid-2024.

As the top seller in the Porsche range there will be a keen eye on how it performs, especially as Porsche will keep the existing petrol-powered model for the short-to-medium term.

As for how long those two Macans will be sold alongside each other, Wienkötter said “we haven’t put a date to it”.

But he said petrol would continue to be an important part of the Macan story for a while yet.

“We also want to keep and increase our customer base … that’s why it’s crucial for us to have ICE versions,” he said.

The planned longer driving ranges should also extend to an imminent update of the Taycan electric four-door and the Taycan Cross Turismo spin-off.

While Porsche hasn’t said anything about an upcoming facelift to the Taycan, its age suggests the timing is right. The Taycan went on sale overseas in 2019 before arriving in Australia in 2020.

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