► Porsche Taycan GTS long-term test
► We live with the Sport Turismo wagon
► Read month 1 here
For all the tabloid hysteria around EVs and charging, running a Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo as a daily driver has been remarkably easy. It’s not got the longest range in the world – the figures say it’ll do 274 miles, in reality that’s nearer 220, to be safe – but in three months of varied driving I’ve rarely had to use a public charging point. Partly that’s because I’m lucky, in that I have chargers both at home and at the office, and also because it’s been unseasonably warm so the efficiency has come easier.
A recent run to Castle Combe to race with my dad in a TVR Grantura (a yin and yang moment if ever there was one) gave me one of those chances to try the public charging network.
It was a late night run so the Ionity station at Chippenham was deserted but well-lit, although I can imagine a lone female finding it a bit too remote for comfort. The speed was good (150kW average) and the cost okay.
The latter is helped by the Porsche charge card that comes with all new Taycans. It lasts three years and gives you a discounted rate at Ionity, dropping it from 74p/kWh to 30p. It can also be used at various ‘destination’ chargers like hotels, as well as Porsche dealers, but after the three years you need to renew it at an annual cost of £179.
Revealed: the UK’s best public charging networks
The Chippenham charger took only 18 minutes to give me enough charge to get to Castle Combe and then home the following day. The Taycan nav is better than a lot as it will direct you to charge mid-journey if you’ve got further to go than electrons remain, pre-conditioning the battery as you get near to the recommended charge point to help get maximum suction when you arrive.
Even so, I’d still recommend getting an idea of options before you leave. The nav is, theoretically, up-to-date as to what chargers are working or available, but that relies on the network providers updating their database. In my experience, you’re better off double checking on an app like Zapmap.
Read month 1
Read month 2
Logbook: Porsche Taycan GTS
Price: £111,200 (£126,486 as tested)
Performance: 83.7kWh battery, e-motor, 510bhp, 3.7sec 0-62mph, 155mph
Efficiency: 2.93 miles per kWh (official), 3.28 miles per kWh (tested)
Range: 301 miles (official), 274 miles (tested)
Energy cost: 11.0p per mile
Miles this month: 1067
Total miles: 15,773