Tesla Model Y vs. Porsche Taycan: Real-World Range Test - Edmunds

Tay Tay

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I'm no Tesla apologist but sounds like they only charged the Tesla to 90% because Tesla says "owners should use a charge of around 90% for daily use" yet they charged the Taycan to 100% (despite Porsche recommending 80% for daily use). So they set up the test for maximum sensationalism.

Otherwise, I knew about the 30% adjustment but didn't know Tesla wasn't subject to it because they tested all 5 cycles. I know Porsche likes to lowball performance figures but not sure that was the best choice here, as the EPA figures are used by a lot of people to disparage the Taycan. Calvin Kim, are you reading this?
 
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I'm no Tesla apologist but sounds like they only charged the Tesla to 90% because Tesla says "owners should use a charge of around 90% for daily use" yet they charged the Taycan to 100% (despite Porsche recommending 80% for daily use). So they set up the test for maximum sensationalism.

Otherwise, I knew about the 30% adjustment but didn't know Tesla wasn't subject to it because they tested all 5 cycles. I know Porsche likes to lowball performance figures but not sure that was the best choice here, as the EPA figures are used by a lot of people to disparage the Taycan. Calvin Kim, are you reading this?
Actually I was not trying to get into the comparison with the Model Y, I'm really not thinking anyone cross shops between a Taycan and a Model Y.

But I do agree with you that it is strange that they only use 90% charge for the Tesla, anyone trying to do a range test certainly charges to 100%. That being said they expected 25 more miles from the additional 10% so that would be 278 which is certainly respectable, but still a little short of EPA 291, but EPA is combined highway and city.

My point of posting was the spectacular 323 miles on the Taycan.

I also emailed with Calvin several times when I was configuring my vehicle and he told me to expect 250 mile range pretty easily, which is certainly true. I do also agree that having a larger estimate like 240 would have made things go a little smoother for the Taycan and some press folks who only look at EPA. Not sure how much it affects sales though. The car drives amazingly and with the right road you do tend to drive in a spirited fashion getting closer to the EPA numbers. :cool:
 

manitou202

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Even with the Model Y charged to 100%, it still falls short of the EPA range by 13 miles versus the Taycan destroying the EPA range by 120 miles. I have had similar results in my Tesla Model X (much lower than EPA rating) and my Taycan (much higher than EPA rating). Bjorn (on YouTube) who has performed maximum range tests on many EVs, achieve nearly the same efficiency in a Model S LR versus a Taycan 4S. 196W/km versus 203W/km at 120km/hr. That is a Model S LR range of 294 miles (402 EPA rated) versus the Taycan range of 264 miles (203 EPA rated).

Tesla has figured out how to get the best EPA rated range. I'm not saying they are doing anything wrong, instead I believe it's a problem with the EPA's test procedure. The EPA test is obviously BS. It doesn't do a good job representing real world range for a variety of vehicles.

I'm sure this article will make a lot of Tesla fanboys upset, but the reality is Tesla isn't as far ahead in efficiency all of these rating imply. Porsche did an excellent job with the Taycan. Just not so much on the EPA test.
 

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I will add that this is a problem for Porsche and many other automakers. Range is a huge factor in buying an EV. Maybe not as big of a factor for a high end sports car like the Taycan, but it is in more moderately priced vehicles like the Audi E-tron for example.

Tesla continually overachieves in the EPA ratings which most people seem to take as gospel. As a result Tesla probably gets a lot of additional sales off the difference. There is a lot of misinformation about EV's in general. Initially is was centered around all EV's, but it has now shifted to Tesla is the only long range EV available and is far superior to all other EVs, which obviously isn't true.

My favorite example is when I drove my E-tron to my father-in-laws house a month ago. My brother-in-law showed up with his recently purchased Model S. He was shocked that I was able to drive my E-tron 300 miles to my father-in-laws because he didn't realize there are other fast chargers available. He thought that Tesla was the only EV that had fast chargers.

Edit: Charging speed is another variable. Tesla loves to use their peak charging power (250kW for example) as a metric of how fast their vehicles charge. However, as many tests have shown the Audi E-tron charges faster to 100% than almost any other EV (including the Taycan) even though it has a peak charging power of 150kW. This is because charging speed (or total charging time) isn't based on peak charging power, but more based on how long your vehicle can charge at moderately high rates (above 100kW). There are a lot of variables in these charging speeds, but again a lot of misinformation out there. Someone (maybe SAE) needs to develop a standard charging test to be used as a way for manufactures to rate vehicle charging speeds.
 
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Reg

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I'm no Tesla apologist but sounds like they only charged the Tesla to 90% because Tesla says "owners should use a charge of around 90% for daily use" yet they charged the Taycan to 100% (despite Porsche recommending 80% for daily use).
Porsche recommends 85

where did they say this was at 100 percent? Also they extrapolated out for that last 10 percent on the tesla
 


Reg

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From my experience, it would take a LOT of effort to get only 49 kWh/100 miles. Nothing close to "normal" driving under average conditions. I get between 30 and 33 depending on driving style.
 

manitou202

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From my experience, it would take a LOT of effort to get only 49 kWh/100 miles. Nothing close to "normal" driving under average conditions. I get between 30 and 33 depending on driving style.
Like I posted in my road rally summary, I drove my Turbo S hard for 1250 miles with lots of spirited driving in the mountains, speeds with three digits, and hard breaking/accleration. I averaged 38kWh/100 miles.
 

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Like I posted in my road rally summary, I drove my Turbo S hard for 1250 miles with lots of spirited driving in the mountains, speeds with three digits, and hard breaking/accleration. I averaged 38kWh/100 miles.
...and somehow, the EPA test, with it's 50mph average, or whatever, took almost 30% more - what a laughable test!
 
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...and somehow, the EPA test, with it's 50mph average, or whatever, took almost 30% more - what a laughable test!
As I understand it there are two options for EPA reporting of range on an EV. The option Porsche took was to have them just derate the Porsche number by 30%. Which explains why the EPA number is the 70% of the WLTP number. Tesla go through a more involved process which avoids this derating.
 

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I can't get over 240 per 100% "tank"...but I don't drive at 50-70...I assume if you set the cruise control at 55 in normal mode over flat terrain you'll see these numbers...if you "drive" at all, you'll get 220-240 from a 100% start and then make sure there's a 150kWh charger at the other end!
 

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Its winter here in the UK, but I am pleased to see my Turbo S is a much more efficient at a constant 70-75 mph on the motorway than it is dawdling around town. To be honest, I really don't see any difference in range between the Taycan and my previous MSP100D with 21" wheels. I am aware that once the battery temp hits 30 deg C, it is more efficient than the Tesla. Once lockdown ends, I cannot wait to take it on a long distance journey.
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