Taycan 4S Performance Battery - My Real World Cold Weather Test

[JimBob]

There are a number of range tests posted on the Tayan, some of which are anecdotal and others which look like click bait.

As range is highly dependent on temperatures and speed you can' t compare tests without the full context.

Also some posters and companies will misrepresent, obfuscate and shockingly enough just outright lie.

Had a bit of a cold snap so provided the opportunity to do my own test.

It will be interesting to move up the ladder as winter ends to see how the range changes with temperature.

There are screenshots of the dash for every supporting observation taken at 2 minute intervals with a GoPro 8. Getting this down to a science so hope to repeat as we move through spring and summer.

Parameters and these should be like for most other owners:

2020 Taycan 4S with Performance Battery Plus (94 KW)
Mode: Range
Tires:
Front: Pirelli PZero snow tires 245/45/R20 inflated to 41 psi per manufacturer specs
Rear: Pirelli PZero snow tires 285/40/R20 inflated to 44 psi per manufacturer specs

Battery was charged to 100% overnight at time of departure.

Air temps were between -9C/15.8F in the city to -11C/12.2F out side the city. Most of the driving was outside the city.
Wind was not significant.
Pavement was dry and traffic was light.
Cruise control when applicable was set to 115kph/71.5 mph which was most of the time.
When I had tried previously at 100 kph/62 mph every beater and truck on the road was passing me and well this is a Porsche after all and at 115kph/71.5 mph I wasn't likely to be pulled over by the OPP.
Course was a loop out and back.

	Kilometers	Miles
Range	338	210.1

* The test ended with the battery at 10% SOC and the indicated ranged remaining was added to the actual range.


One interesting observation which has me puzzled was that the battery temperature was 23C/73.4F and the outside temperature -9C/15.8F when I left the garage. The battery temperature never varied by more than 2 or 3 degrees throughout the trip. On an earlier trip done at a lower speed and with slightly colder outside temperatures the battery temperature dropped to 6C/43F for most of the trip and the ranged ended up 5% less than this test at a higher speed.

Perhaps someone knows how these batteries are supposed to work?

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[Mike in CA]

The battery pack is thermally managed to stay as close to the optimal operating temperature as possible. Read about it here.

The battery: Sophisticated thermal management, 800-volt system voltage (porsche.com)

 

[PanameraFrank]

Your numbers match up with what I've been getting. Really happy with how efficient Porsche made the car, 200+ miles in winter at true highway speeds is excellent compared to the competition.

 

[Scandinavian]

@JimBob , interesting test and observations.

One question: what drive mode did you run the test in?

 

[Arno]

Interesting aspects @JimBob brings up. I also encountered differently range, sometimes in equal conditions and other times quite similar outdoor temperatures. I figured it might had to do with what temperature the batteries are when starting up driving. So I have made up some thoughts about it myself.

It’s definitely lower range in cold weather winter time than summer, but definitely not as much as I feared. The range however is never less than 350 km based on a 100% charged battery, but mostly around 380 km and sometimes close to 400 km (in summer, it’s longer of course). This might not be accurate, as I rarely charge to more than 80-90% at maximum, and occasionally to 100% if I’m going on a longer trip and drive off as soon as the battery is fully charged.

I’ve also experienced that charging is more efficient and goes faster, if the battery is preconditioned. Even if the precondition drain the battery up to 3-4% in an hour, it stabilizes after the battery temperature has reached its comfort level. That also means driving is more efficient when battery temperature gained its sweet-spot. My Taycan never lose % while parked, if it stays for many days, like my former Tesla. Not even in cold weather, which is quite impressive actually!

From the link @Mike-in-ca posted, I copied the following from the text, which make sense in our different experiences:

“Depending on the outside temperature, the battery is preconditioned to a certain temperature level when the vehicle is connected to the mains for charging. The interior can be preconditioned independently of the mains."

The vehicle also predicts the electrical power consumption of the air-conditioning system and the conditioning of the components based on the outside temperature, humidity and sunshine, as well as the currently selected driving program and the respective setting of the automatic climate control system. The current range is calculated using these figures. In a parallel process, PIRM (Porsche Intelligent Range Manager) provides a background forecast for the other driving programs. When route guidance is activated, if the range calculation shows that the destination can be reached with a low battery charge, the system switches to a more energy-efficient driving programme and a different climate control mode."

I concur to the above, and I’m pleased to to see how this all function so well. Quite early in the process I decided to handle my battery nice and carefully, because I want it to maintain its capacity as long as possible - due to the plan of keeping my Turbo S as long as my wife approves. To be able to, that means I’ve got to serve her as good, as I treat my Porsche

 

[Kingske]

Interesting aspects @JimBob brings up. I also encountered differently range, sometimes in equal conditions and other times quite similar outdoor temperatures. I figured it might had to do with what temperature the batteries are when starting up driving. So I have made up some thoughts about it myself.

It’s definitely lower range in cold weather winter time than summer, but definitely not as much as I feared. The range however is never less than 350 km based on a 100% charged battery, but mostly around 380 km and sometimes close to 400 km (in summer, it’s longer of course). This might not be accurate, as a rarely charge to more than 80-90% at maximum, and occasionally to 100% if I’m going on a longer trip and drive off as soon as the battery is fully charged.

I’ve also experienced that charging is more efficient and goes faster, if the battery is preconditioned. Even if the precondition drain the battery up to 3-4% in an hour, it stabilizes after the battery temperature has reached its comfort level. That also means driving is more efficient when battery temperature gained its sweet-spot. My Taycan never lose % while parked, if it stays for many days, like my former Tesla. Not even in cold weather, which is quite impressive actually!

From the link @Mike-in-ca posted, I copied the following from the text, which make sense in our different experiences:

“Depending on the outside temperature, the battery is preconditioned to a certain temperature level when the vehicle is connected to the mains for charging. The interior can be preconditioned independently of the mains.

The vehicle also predicts the electrical power consumption of the air-conditioning system and the conditioning of the components based on the outside temperature, humidity and sunshine, as well as the currently selected driving program and the respective setting of the automatic climate control system. The current range is calculated using these figures. In a parallel process, PIRM (Porsche Intelligent Range Manager) provides a background forecast for the other driving programs. When route guidance is activated, if the range calculation shows that the destination can be reached with a low battery charge, the system switches to a more energy-efficient driving programme and a different climate control mode.

I concur to the above, and I’m pleased to to see how this all function so well. Quite early in the process I decided to treat my battery nice and carefully, as I want it to keep its capacity as long as possible - due to the plan of keeping my Turbo S as long as my wife approves. To be able to, that means I’ve got to treat her as good as well

I fully share @Arno ’s intention to treat the battery well in order to preserve its capacity. Would it therefore make sense to routinely charge to 80% instead of to 85% as initially suggested? Would the impact on battery life be negligible or is that anybody’s guess?

 

[Persuader]

Have I got my tyre pressures wrong. My 20" are inflated to 37psi front 33psi rear for light load which is what is advised on screen. I'll screenshot if anyone needs me to.

 

[JimBob]

@JimBob , interesting test and observations.

One question: what drive mode did you run the test in?

Sorry forgot to say. Range Mode.

 

[JimBob]

Have I got my tyre pressures wrong. My 20" are inflated to 37psi front 33psi rear for light load which is what is advised on screen. I'll screenshot if anyone needs me to.

Look at the sticker on the door. Mine says 41 front and 44 rear.

 

[JimBob]

Interesting aspects @JimBob brings up. I also encountered differently range, sometimes in equal conditions and other times quite similar outdoor temperatures. I figured it might had to do with what temperature the batteries are when starting up driving. So I have made up some thoughts about it myself.

It’s definitely lower range in cold weather winter time than summer, but definitely not as much as I feared. The range however is never less than 350 km based on a 100% charged battery, but mostly around 380 km and sometimes close to 400 km (in summer, it’s longer of course). This might not be accurate, as a rarely charge to more than 80-90% at maximum, and occasionally to 100% if I’m going on a longer trip and drive off as soon as the battery is fully charged.

I’ve also experienced that charging is more efficient and goes faster, if the battery is preconditioned. Even if the precondition drain the battery up to 3-4% in an hour, it stabilizes after the battery temperature has reached its comfort level. That also means driving is more efficient when battery temperature gained its sweet-spot. My Taycan never lose % while parked, if it stays for many days, like my former Tesla. Not even in cold weather, which is quite impressive actually!

From the link @Mike-in-ca posted, I copied the following from the text, which make sense in our different experiences:

“Depending on the outside temperature, the battery is preconditioned to a certain temperature level when the vehicle is connected to the mains for charging. The interior can be preconditioned independently of the mains.

The vehicle also predicts the electrical power consumption of the air-conditioning system and the conditioning of the components based on the outside temperature, humidity and sunshine, as well as the currently selected driving program and the respective setting of the automatic climate control system. The current range is calculated using these figures. In a parallel process, PIRM (Porsche Intelligent Range Manager) provides a background forecast for the other driving programs. When route guidance is activated, if the range calculation shows that the destination can be reached with a low battery charge, the system switches to a more energy-efficient driving programme and a different climate control mode.

I concur to the above, and I’m pleased to to see how this all function so well. Quite early in the process I decided to treat my battery nice and carefully, as I want it to keep its capacity as long as possible - due to the plan of keeping my Turbo S as long as my wife approves. To be able to, that means I’ve got to treat her as good as well

Absolutiely. The battery is the center of the universe. I forgot to include as a starting condition. Very important. You need to set a departure time to get the battery hot before leaving. I got a couple of screwy readings where the battery temperature actually dropped to 6C during the trip rather than staying at the 20, which yielded a hit to the range. The battery needs a store of heat to get the best range

This morning the garage temperature was 4C/39.2F and the battery temperature was 25C/77F.

So things that you should do
1. Plug in at night
2. Set a departure time
3. If travelling in the winter, stay at hotels which let you plug your vehicle in overnight. Level 2 is perfect

This will also help at a supercharger as charging times are very slow for cold batteries.

 

[NC_Taycan]

I fully share @Arno ’s intention to treat the battery well in order to preserve its capacity. Would it therefore make sense to routinely charge to 80% instead of to 85% as initially suggested? Would the impact on battery life be negligible or is that anybody’s guess?

Difference in longevity between regular charging to 80% vs. to 85% will not likely be measurable over a reasonable ownership interval, if ever. MY $0.02 worth...

Look at the sticker on the door. My says 41 front and 44 rear.

The sticker provides FULL LOAD pressures. In the PCM you will find the partial load pressure which are something like 38 and 38. You can go somewhere in between, like an easy to remember 40 for each wheel and be fine.

 

[Kingske]

Difference in longevity between regular charging to 80% vs. to 85% will not likely be measurable over a reasonable ownership interval, if ever. MY $0.02 worth...


The sticker provides FULL LOAD pressures. In the PCM you will find the partial load pressure which are something like 38 and 38. You can go somewhere in between, like an easy to remember 40 for each wheel and be fine.

I put mine at 40 in front and 39 at the rear, and found I got the best range/consumption with that.

 

[Persuader]

Look at the sticker on the door. My says 41 front and 44 rear.

That's for maximum load. Full of passengers and trunks full.

 

[svp6]

183 miles at 3F (-16C) starting with warm battery, 495 Wh/mi. Sunny, no wind, clean road.

All <45F data is on PZero winter tires at 42 PSI. All data from >90 mile highway trips at 73 mph in range mode, 72F interior. Consumption is identical to my previous 2015 Tesla P85D.

Importantly, the amount of energy extractable from the battery is much lower with a cold battery.

The estimated total battery at the 3F trip starting with a warm battery (70F) was 90.5 kWh, temp stayed above 60F on the entire road (except at the end when it started increasing to preconditiong for the charge stop I planned).

Same day in the afternoon starting with a cold battery (38F) on the return trip at 15F, the estimated capacity was 81.5 kWh. Temp stayed in the 40s throughout the trip, at the very end I hit 50F. The consumption was what I expected at the temperature (424 Wh/mi), but the total range was less than expected at 192 miles (if total battery was the same 90.5 kWh as in the morning, range would have been 213 miles).

So factors to consider when driving in winter: speed, outside conditions (wind, rain, snow), battery temperature at departure.

 

[Scandinavian]

Sorry forgot to say. Range Mode.

Please try a similar test in Normal mode. I think the Good to Know app states that for a fully charged 100% battery Range mode is not advised. If I remeber correctly the coolant is not circulated as well through the battery then. Maybe the same is valid in Range mode so that it does not heat the battery as well. That could explain some of the difference in your battery temperatures at different speeds?

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