Taycan milestone reached

The 100,000^th electric Taycan has rolled off Porsche’s production line.

Production started at the main plant in Zuffenhausen, Germany, in September 2019.

The new Neptune Blue Taycan Turbo S is destined for a United Kingdom customer.

“We are very pleased to have reached this milestone in production history so quickly – despite the recent challenges posed by the semi-conductor shortage and the volatile COVID situation,” says Taycan model line vice president Kevin Giek.

“With the Taycan, we have made a decidedly successful start in the electric age.”

The top three individual markets for the all-electric sports car are the US, China and the UK/Republic of Ireland.

The model is now globally available in three body styles – the Taycan sports sedan, Taycan Cross Turismo and Taycan Sport Turismo (not currently offered in Australia).

In each case, up to five powertrain options are coupled with rear or all-wheel drive.

The Taycan Turbo S holds the fastest production electric car record, with a time of seven minutes 33 seconds round the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Transport entrepreneur Jean-Hubert Revolon has already driven more than 188,119 kilometres in his Taycan 4S since mid-August 2020.

Revolon lives in the Lyon area and has already driven his Porsche in almost all of France’s neighbouring countries, covering daily distances of up to 1200 km.

His reasons for buying the car were its design and “the technical innovations, which are good for the environment as well as my budget because of the low running costs”, he says.

Other strengths, in his opinion, are the car’s performance and suspension, which offer “fiendishly good grip and maximum agility, something only the wizards at Porsche can manage”.

The 43-year-old also says just one suspension sensor has needed to be replaced on his Taycan.

Guillaume Takvorian took a photo of his Taycan 4S’ speedometer after it had done 113,977km.

The pharmacist from Marseille acquired the Volcano Grey sports sedan on a whim in June 2020. “Porsche Toulon had just taken delivery of a Taycan. After a test drive, I immediately decided on this model,” he says.

On business, he drives the Taycan 4S mainly in the south of France.

Apart from a noisy fan wheel – replaced under warranty – the 41-year-old has had no problems with the EV.

“It’s just fun to drive,” he says.

While Takvorian loves the sound of his 911 Targa, he appreciates the Taycan’s silence over long distances.

His Porsche is always charged overnight using his home wallbox, with Takvorian only relying on fast charging stations when necessary.

Markus Kreutel mainly uses fast charging stations to top up his Taycan Turbo, doing up to 1500km daily on Eastern European business trips, covering 134,911km in his company car.

Kreutel is Porsche’s body planning head and therefore responsible for the body in white production in Zuffenhausen, Leipzig and Bratislava.

As Porsche Toolmaking chief executive, he also looks after that division’s sites in Schwarzenberg, Dubnica and Horna Streda, frequently traveling from Porsche’s headquarters in Zuffenhausen to Slovakia or the Ore Mountains.

Kreutel praises the lower running costs compared to a combustion engine model.

“The battery still had 91% of its original capacity,” says Kreutel, who adds the only problem has been when the tailgate lock plastic cover came off.

A Frozen Blue Taycan 4S meanwhile completed 100,000 km in accelerated durability testing with the German car magazine ‘Auto Bild’ from October 2020 to November 2022, a Taycan Cross Turismo 4 now joining its endurance fleet.

A high-tech production facility has been built in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen where artificial intelligence (AI) is used in electric powertrain production.