2020 Porsche Taycan 4S Achieved 190 Miles of Range in Our Test

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) estimated range figures for electric vehicles are one of the most important yardsticks for bragging rights among EVs and a critical figure for shoppers to consider during the buying process. However, factors such as climate and speed affect EVs more than gas-powered vehicles, so we run them through our own challenging EV range test that’s a highway run at an steady speed of 75 mph. In a 2020 Porsche Taycan 4S, we made it 190 miles.

Our test was conducted with a 2020 model equipped with the larger, 83.7-kWh battery pack (Porsche calls it “Performance Battery Plus”) and 21-inch wheels and Pirelli P Zero PZ4 Elect tires shared with the top-dog Turbo S model. That wheel and tire package is the least efficient among the Taycan’s choices and likely shed more than a few miles off our range result. But its impressive 190-mile showing makes the Taycan 4S the closest of all electric vehicles we’ve tested to achieving its EPA combined range figure, missing it by just 6 percent. That ever so slightly betters the previous champ, a 2019 Audi e-tron, which also achieved 190 miles but is EPA rated at 204 miles of range.

For the 2021 model year, Porsche is adjusting its EPA ratings upward to account for some of the relative conservatism in its ratings compared to its EV peers. For example, an equivalent 2021 Taycan 4S is now EPA rated at 227 miles, while a smaller, 71.0-kWh battery is newly available on the 2021 Taycan 4S, and it’s good for 199 miles, according to the EPA. However, those improvements aren’t due to hardware or software changes, but rather an adjustment due to the fact that customers are buying Taycans on the more efficient wheel-and-tire combinations. We don’t expect the 2021 Taycan to go farther than a comparable 2020 model in our real-world testing.

Weather affects EV range. During our test of the Taycan 4S, the outside temperature was 48 degrees Fahrenheit, and it dipped below 40 toward the end of the test. We noted that at the halfway point (approximately 100 miles), the indicated range began to decline more rapidly than it did on the first half of the trip. However, this is true for the majority of electric vehicles we test. Our distance is carefully tracked with a Racelogic VBOX GPS data logger.

EPA range figures will also increase for 2021 Taycan Turbo and Turbo S variants, although those have yet to be announced. A base Taycan with rear-wheel drive is now available for the 2021 model year with both battery packs, though the EPA has not yet released range figures for either configuration. They’re available to order now and will arrive in the spring.

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