Any hopes for prior Taycan's for significant upgrade?

[SergeyIndy]

Anyone know if the old battery pack is swappable with the new one in the 2025 Taycan, Hopefully never need to upgrade it, would be intresting to know if it's possible though.

" Porsche says top Taycan models can be had with a larger 105 kWh Performance Plus battery pack, up from 93 kWh on the last Taycan. "We increased it 12% [in size] and we changed the chemical density, therefore it's more powerful than before," Taycan program director Steffen Christian told me recently. "It helps with the performance and it helps with the range as well."

Most likely not, since the cooling system is totally different and designed specifically for the new battery pack, plus the battery controller hardware is brand new. The most likely scenario is to have the same battery pack enclosure with a different chemistry cells assuming they can adjust the software to its new properties. This is a long shot, but for them to keep making the same battery for a long time to have enough to cover warranty can also be more expensive.

See the graphic below. For example, the new battery is controlled by a totally different hardware (PDU), and the engineers keep saying that the cooling system is completely redesigned, such as it now captures residual heat from the battery to warm the cabin. However, in this major of a design change, although a simplification (i.e., no 48V bus), new things can go wrong until tested at scale.

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[evo3.2]

Definatley not going to happen based on that information, Only hope is like you said they upgrade the compisition of the current pack some time in the future.

 

[Dilpo]

For ICE Porsche is known for walking the extra mile to support older OEM parts. Battery for Taycan.1 should not be an exception. Question is, whether manufacturing ”old” batteries makes sense after a certain point or if some newer tech is simply easier for all parties. Cost is likely not the deciding factor, but if battery manufacturers move to a tech and no longer provide the older units even upon request.

 

[KensingtonPark]

For ICE Porsche is known for walking the extra mile to support older OEM parts. Battery for Taycan.1 should not be an exception. Question is, whether manufacturing ”old” batteries makes sense after a certain point or if some newer tech is simply easier for all parties. Cost is likely not the deciding factor, but if battery manufacturers move to a tech and no longer provide the older units even upon request.

What examples of this are there? The battery is a huge portion of the cost of the car. Has Porsche ever offered to upgrade the engine on earlier generation 911s?

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

What examples of this are there? The battery is a huge portion of the cost of the car. Has Porsche ever offered to upgrade the engine on earlier generation 911s?

I would agree, as they kept selling engines with known weaknesses, as they were replacing the failing ones. However, the point stands that it may become infeasible to manufacture “old chemistry” batteries/modules, so perhaps some degree of advancements will trickle down to gen 1.

Only 15 years until the Taycan becomes a Classic.

 

[Gnasher]

I would agree, as they kept selling engines with known weaknesses, as they were replacing the failing ones. However, the point stands that it may become infeasible to manufacture “old chemistry” batteries/modules, so perhaps some degree of advancements will trickle down to gen 1.

Only 15 years until the Taycan becomes a Classic.

Don't you think we will struggle to have a classic EV due to the fact it will be so much harder for a back street garage to servie them ? Batteries have a lifespan whereas engines go forever!..

 

[Jasper4S]

I think we can agree that most hardware will not find a way to gen1, tequipment like rims etc probably will.

Software should be compatible, but depends on how much Porsche really cares. I think they will release a PCM user interface update like uPdate, so we have the new options on the curved screen and the new trip interface, but don’t expect any range improvements or drive train software updates.

Some tech/car blogs are stating that 2023 and 2024 models will get the Carplay update with the new Carplay interface. But for me that already works for a couple of months. Or am I missing something that is new?

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

Don't you think we will struggle to have a classic EV due to the fact it will be so much harder for a back street garage to servie them ? Batteries have a lifespan whereas engines go forever!..

By Classic i meant “Porsche Classic”, which is how they designate any model generation once it turns 20. Porsche pride themselves with keeping their older models going with parts and updates, as it both perpetuates their durability aura, and keeps owners happy (and entices them to buy new - I am one such gullible example).

No doubt batteries have a lifespan, but they’re also trivially replaceable - all you need is one that fits, size-wise, and 20-odd new bolts. I would, in principle, agree that engines go on forever, but alas, I have a first-hand example to the contrary: my 996’s engine had a mishap about a year ago, and it’s been a prolonged tale of woe trying to get it rebuilt. Probably will cost more than a battery, too, when all is said and done.

 

[ShiftyWolf]

Maybe an urban myth, but I've heard that auto manufacturers in the US are required to provide parts and service for 20 years after a model is released. EVs are still so new, I'm curious to see how they will handle servicing older cars after technology has advanced so far beyond what was originally spec'd.

It may actually be more cost effective to give us upgraded batteries and motors.

Imagine trying to maintain parts and tooling to keep a 20 year old computer or cell phone working.

 

[ShiftyWolf]

I have a first-hand example to the contrary: my 996’s engine had a mishap about a year ago, and it’s been a prolonged tale of woe trying to get it rebuilt. Probably will cost more than a battery, too, when all is said and done.

+1

Look at ICE forums where owners are getting engine replacement quotes of $18,000 and more for high performance vehicles, plus labor. I expect the EV battery to similarly be treated as a major component replacement and priced accordingly.

 

[f1eng]

Has Porsche ever offered to upgrade the engine on earlier generation 911s?

They way well use updated parts if, for example, the con-rod material used in the old one was no longer available.
Not likely they would publicise it though and the improved part is more likely to just be reliability not performance.

A friend of mine is still rebuilding all flat-4 and flat-6 air cooled Porsche engines but few end up completely standard more often using more modern parts since the old ones aren’t available or have known weaknesses.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

Imagine trying to maintain parts and tooling to keep a 20 year old computer or cell phone working.

Porsche Classic Genuine Parts Catalog - Porsche USA

It's real. And they do keep innovating - for instance the 993 and 996 both got modern nav/media units in a form factor fitting their respective dashboards.

You can pick up - for free - a copy of Originale (parts catalog) at your local dealer. Fascinating reading - each issue has a focus on some part, and they explain everything from original design through most recent iteration(s). (And, of course, you can expect a commensurate price with these parts.)

 

[beefster]

I doubt any drivetrain upgrades will make it but hoping for infotainment and software upgrades will be possible. My first gen Model S had a paid option to upgrade the entire computer and infotainment which was nice to have.

 

[Ronvanwissen]

I do have to agree it's a balancing act. Porsche wants to maintain a strong loyalty base of owners, and one way to do that is to not obsolete the car every 4 years. They also of course don't want to incentivize you to keep your 4 year old car - much better for them if you get a new one. Tricky, but I think they'll probably continue to incorporate improvements via software to the older cars, but certainly not to the point where they significantly reduce the differentiation between the 'old' and the 'new' cars.

My personal point of view is I would love the higher battery capacity and range, don't really care about the charging speed - I've never 'waited' in my car for more than 10-15 minutes. I plug in, head into whatever store/restaurant is around and grab some food and drink, head to the bathroom, then back to the car. Then I sit for 5 - 10 minutes eating and/or planning my next stop, and by then, the car is almost always ready to go.

Who keeps his Porsches longer than 4 years unless it’s a classic?

 

[f1eng]

Who keeps his Porsches longer than 4 years unless it’s a classic?

I shall be doing.

I take quite a while to decide what to get next and sometimes keep them a long time. I only sell soon if the car is a disappointment for any reason, then they only last a few months, and the only one that was a disappointment for me was a BMW M3 in 1997 which was uncomfortable in both seat and climate control.

I bought my Merc 500E new in 1991 after a long string of Mercs and subsequent Merc models have changed the engineering/marketing balance and I haven’t bought one since. I bought my Ferrari 355 Spider new in 1997 and they haven’t produced a car since I prefer enough to buy and all have gone the way of bling options which are mostly hideous to my eye.

I really like the Taycan and if it remains reliable for 3 years I will keep it indefinitely.

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