Since cars first came on the scene in the late 1800s the world has been consumed with at least three key questions. How fast can it go? How far can it go and how much stuff can I put in it?
As technology has progressed two of these questions have remained positive constants with carmakers boasting of the speed and practicality of their new models. But when it comes to electric cars the biggest question remains – how long can you go without needing a recharge?
To find out, I took a 2024 Porsche Taycan 4S for a spin from south London to Manchester United’s Old Trafford. The car has a WLTP range (the claimed distance you can travel on one recharge) of 420 miles which makes it one of the longest-distance electric cars on the market – third in fact.
On paper, the journey looked completely feasible because the distance I was meant to cover was about the same as the WLTP range. However, it is important to make clear that a car’s range on paper – regardless of whether it’s petrol, diesel, or electric – is most of the time different in reality.
As it was, when I started my journey at 6am on a Thursday morning with the car’s battery at 99% it said I could go around 391 miles. Not enough to do the journey without charging up, but that wasn’t the point. the point was what was this £96,313, 143mph, 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds super saloon like to drive on a long 10-hour drive?
Would I feel as I had in other electric cars a significant degree of range anxiety? Would I feel uncomfortable after 10 hours in this expensive saddle? Would traffic and wet weather turn this simple drive into the journey from hell?
In short, no. The key to long electric car journeys is planning and Porsche helps you out with that with a special app and software on the car that allows you to plan your journey. You tell the car how much charge you would like at the end of your journey and how much you would like when you charge up halfway. It then curates a plan allowing you to stop off at fast chargers en route to expedite the process. Stick to that plan and do it at the start of your journey and you should theoretically be fine.
That said, looking at the map I noticed that the further north one travelled the fewer chargers there were and this is perhaps the biggest problem facing electric vehicles. If another north-south divide has developed in the UK it is the inequitable spread of EV chargers across the UK. This isn’t an issue if you’re going from one big city to another, but it needs addressing.
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The £96,000 Porsche sees you sitting reclined close to the floor along with all the other equipment for better weight distribution.
Ahead of you is an expansive bonnet underneath which sits a moderately sized 84-litre boot that together with the 407-litre one at the rear provides 491 litres of luggage space. The rear seats aren’t too bad either, trimmed as they are in the same leather as those at the front.
The infotainment is controlled via two small touch screens, one down to your left with shortcuts for the aircon, nav, and Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and the other on the centre console for more detailed changes like the car’s ride height.
Once it’s all been adjusted with your preferences – including one of the four driving modes – you set off. The car feels like the 4.9m long 2.1m (with mirrors unfolded) beast that it is and that takes a bit of getting used to if you – like I – normally drive something a lot smaller.
Once you’ve got your eye in it’s perfectly nimble with linear steering and a got turning circle. Despite the power under your right foot, in normal or range mode it won’t induce head-snapping acceleration if poked.
On the motorway and faster roads, its width and length mean it is a compliant, stable, and comfortable cruiser. This is a car that can do long motorway journeys and because most motorway services have charging stations you don’t worry all too much about charging up even if the price of motorway charging can hit you in the wallet like it does filling up with petrol and diesel.
While you won’t worry about the car then, it does care about you as with a few minutes to go before a service station breakfast I was told by the car that it had detected signs of fatigue and recommended I stop for a break. In a world of never-ending driver aids, this was one I actually thought should catch on.
When the weather turned torrential on the way into London the car was equally compliant and I felt a little sorry for some of the much older vehicles on their way to the Goodwood Revival as parts of the road turned into the Seine.
Parking up at home after 10 hours on board with the mission accomplished my overriding feeling was that this new Taycan is an accomplished successor to the old one, building on what was already a very capable platform.
