Please Welcome Stealth

[Tsingtao]

With just over 12,500 miles I had to take Stealth back into Porsche Service for the Power Loss Vehicle Recall with some trepidation; however, it was unfounded. Taken to service Monday the Aug 2nd and back in my hands Aug 3rd. A excellent loaner as well (T4S).
Very happy to have a short post.

Now heading for a 900mile road trip to the Redwood National and State Park for camping and utilizing my new roof rack & box.

Thanks for your detailed account of taycan ownership. It is always better to pay attention to trend lines rather than headlines, and I think you have provided a fantastic job of showing us the trends!

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[feye]

Now heading for a 900mile road trip to the Redwood National and State Park for camping and utilizing my new roof rack & box.

Excellent, please post charging and range experience...

 

[ron_b]

Finally checking back in on this forum. Had gotten busy with work and such and took a break.
Stealth has just crossed 27,000 miles and consistency averages 3.00 mi/kWh, this is not based on the bogus numbers the Porsche App or web site show me but based on my recording of every charging session I had done since Nov 11th 2020 when I picked it up in Los Angles and charged it in Pismo Beach on a 350kW Electrify America Charger.

I have exact numbers but fuzzing some for a public post.
I have done ~180 DCFC Sessions with 92kW avg speed and 6.8MWh added in ~70hr.
I have done ~180 Level2 Sessions with 5kW avg speed and 3MWh added in ~600hr.
I have spent less than $50 in fuel to travel 27,000 miles, this includes costs for home charging, most recent non-road-trip charging is free workplace charging and I have solar on one home.

16 months of ownership, how do I feel.
Love the car, still look for driving opportunities.
Regrets: Though I have 35 options picked, I should have gotten a 36th (massaging seats).

Plan to road-trip to East Coat in July after dropping my younger son at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. He'll have fun on a 140,000 acre property on a 21 day backpacking trip.
I'll have fun in a Taycan....

 

[Ross]

Regrets: Though I have 35 options picked, I should have gotten a 36th (massaging seats).

[/QUOTE]

Great report. Love chat about the spec.
You have gone mad in the best kind of way with 35 ticks!
Interested to know if any of the 35 you consider a waste of time!?
What would NOT have again?
Your feedback would be useful as you have everything!!
Except massage seats of course!

 

[ron_b]

Great report. Love chat about the spec.
You have gone mad in the best kind of way with 35 ticks!
Interested to know if any of the 35 you consider a waste of time!?
What would NOT have again?
Your feedback would be useful as you have everything!!
Except massage seats of course!

Great Question @Ross

Optional equipment

Packages

1. Premium Package (Very Happy)
2. Performance Package (Happy)

Exterior

1. Power Folding Exterior Mirrors (A must for single car garage doors)

Transmission / Chassis

1. 
   
2. Porsche Electric Sport Sound (Part of package and nice when driving sportily)
3. Performance Battery Plus (Gets me 265mi pretty reliable)
4. Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (Super flat in cornering)
5. Rear Axle Steering incl. Power Steering Plus (Love it, shrinks the car)
6. Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (Can't say I have direct knowledge of what it provides)
7. Sport Chrono Package (Great being able to change range to normal or sport to drop something on the freeway then go back to range at 75 with the twist of a dial)
8. Power Steering Plus (yes)

Wheels

1. 20" Taycan Turbo Aero Wheels (Like the look of larger tires, but 21 two low profile)
2. Tire Sealing Compound and Electric Air Compressor (happily unused)
3. All-Season Tires for 20" Wheels (Not tracking, lasted 27K miles)

Interior

1. Ionizer (useful)
2. Ambient lighting (useful)
3. Power Seats (14-way) with Memory Package (Absolutely useful)
4. Seat Heating - Front and Rear (Absolutely useful)
5. Seat Ventilation - Front (Absolutely useful)
6. Side airbags in rear compartment (I think base)
7. Steering Wheel Heating i.c.w. Sport Chrono Package and Leather Interior
8. Storage Package (Makes some storage areas more usable, part of package)
9. Rear 2+1 Seats (Great, I carried a 8' 4x4 from HomeDepot in my Taycan, images in thread)
   Not intended for full-size humans except for quick Airport pickup.
10. Smoking Package (Great free option for storage, don't smoke)

Interior Leather

1. Porsche Crest on Headrests (It's a Porsche thing)

Interior Aluminum

1. Door-Sill Guards in Black Brushed Aluminum (Great free option on a Dark Grey car)

Audio / Communication

1. Passenger Display (Wife requirement)
2. BOSE® Surround Sound System (Decent)

E-Mobility

1. 25 ft Charging Cable (Very good & free option)
2. Porsche Intelligent Range Manager (Does a decent job, big trips I plan with ABRP also)

Lights

1. LED-Matrix Design Headlights incl. Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus (Very good, but hoping they will SW update now that USA allows dynamic lighting)
2. Automatically dimming exterior and interior mirrors (Part of pkg)
3. Fixed Panoramic Roof in Glass (Excellent if you ever have more than 2 in vehicle)
4. Thermally & Noise Insulated Glass (Excellent, but affects Radar Detectors)

Comfort Assistance

1. Surround View (Excellent)
2. Porsche InnoDrive incl. Adaptive Cruise Control (Very good, use frequently)
3. Night Vision Assist (Confidence at night, I love safety features)
4. HomeLink® (Works good, have 3 garages & a gate programmed)
5. Lane Change Assist (Solid aid)

Required additional equipment: Micro Fiber Towel in Driver Door pocket to wipe screens (frequently)

 

[Ross]

WOW! What a detailed and thorough response. Thank you. I thought you might say there were a couple of options you thought were useless and/or overpriced!
It is great to read that you totally love it all and have no regrets!
I like you Torque Vector comment!
I have watched videos and read stuff saying what it does but I don’t fully understand them. It seems the 2WD benefits from it but can you tell if not on a track?!

 

[cometguy]

Regarding the NVA infrared camera (which I also special-ordered in my Panamera), I'm disappointed to see that Porsche still places the camera way-too-low on the front of the car, and that Porsche still uses an inappropriate lens (narrow field-of-view). Porsche needs to mount the camera on top of the windshield (behind the rear-view mirror) and needs to put in a good, wide-angle lens. This photo that you posted really illustrates how poor the angle of view is when comparing it to your smartphone photo of the visual (non-infrared) view through your front windshield.

Anyway, interesting posts on your car in this thread, and I look forward to hearing about your cross-country trip in your Taycan! The details are very useful.

 

[ron_b]

@cometguy I agree that having the camera higher would provide better visibility; however, I want to add that the image recognition is quite good. I have only had a few alarms (I.e. bell and the image is presented with red boxes over hazard) and they have been real. One I recall well was 2 deer only a few feet off the side of the road.

I know it was a very pricey option over $2000 as I recall but I got without hesitation as if it saves one accident with a deer it pays for itself and if it were a human on a dark road, which it also recognizes, it would be of immeasurable benefit.

p.s. One might hypothetically drive a Taycan on a reasonably straight back road at 122mph at 10pm and get additional confidence from knowing such a nanny is watching out for wildlife also.

Also when a car is on the side of the road you know when it’s occupied by the heat signature. Maybe useful locating bears along highways.

 

[ciaranob]

@cometguy I agree that having the camera higher would provide better visibility; however, I want to add that the image recognition is quite good. I have only had a few alarms (I.e. bell and the image is presented with red boxes over hazard) and they have been real. One I recall well was 2 deer only a few feet off the side of the road.

I know it was a very pricey option over $2000 as I recall but I got without hesitation as if it saves one accident with a deer it pays for itself and if it were a human on a dark road, which it also recognizes, it would be of immeasurable benefit.

p.s. One might hypothetically drive a Taycan on a reasonably straight back road at 122mph at 10pm and get additional confidence from knowing such a nanny is watching out for wildlife also.

Also when a car is on the side of the road you know when it’s occupied by the heat signature. Maybe useful locating bears along highways.

I still think it would have been a really great feature to add the view preferably in a wide aspect on the passenger (PAX) screen - partly just for fun but also more eyes are always better

 

[BayAreaKen]

I know it was a very pricey option over $2000 as I recall but I got without hesitation as if it saves one accident with a deer it pays for itself and if it were a human on a dark road, which it also recognizes, it would be of immeasurable benefit.

I remember a few years back, on Halloween night, I was driving on a very dark (no streetlights) neighborhood street with my nightvision on display. There were many kids walking around with their candy-bags. One father stopped me on the road and told me I was driving dangerously b/c the kids were hard to see. I said "I can see better than you right now" and pointed to my display. He was astounded.

I will *never* not get this feature again. Worth the price in saving a life and/or a car.

 

[cometguy]

I remember a few years back, on Halloween night, I was driving on a very dark (no streetlights) neighborhood street with my nightvision on display. There were many kids walking around with their candy-bags. One father stopped me on the road and told me I was driving dangerously b/c the kids were hard to see. I said "I can see better than you right now" and pointed to my display. He was astounded.

I will *never* not get this feature again. Worth the price in saving a life and/or a car.

I agree totally. And one pleasant surprise that I noticed after getting the NVA infrared camera on my Panamera is that it can peer really well through heavy fog -- which I run into a lot both here by the ocean and also in my many trips to the mountains. I will always option the NVA camera. Also, when high-up SUVs/pickups/trucks with bright lights are shining in my eyes (headlights often at about the same height above the ground as my sitting position in the Panamera, or Taycan), I've found it actually useful to focus even more on the NVA screen as I drive slowly through heavy urban areas at night because the infrared camera is unaffected by glare. But I'd like to see the camera mounted higher and given a much-wider field-of-view. The idea of making the infrared view available on both the center screen and the optional passenger screen is also excellent.

 

[ron_b]

My large Taycan Road Trip - Planned as 4400 miles, actual 5200 miles with side trips.

Lets start by saying my car and I know each other well, picked up in Nov 2020 with 21 miles has over 33K at the start if this journey and near 40K at the end.

Passengers:
3 adults (1 being dropped at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron New Mexico for a 21 Day, 200 mile Backpacking trip, wife and I continue for 11 nights of camping at 3 National Parks, 1 National Forest, interspersed hotels and 6 nights at AirBnB.

Baggage:
5 person tent, Cooler, 2 folding chairs, 2 large totes for cooking equipment and food, 2 suitcases, 2 regular backpacks, one large backpack for 21 day trip, 2 sleeping bags, Level 2 charging cable. This was a tight fit when we had 3 people for the 4 days, much nicer white only 2 people.

The Longest Leg:
Started our journey from San Jose, California at 4:15am on July 18th at 100% SoC (timed completed charge at 3:30AM). First stop-over, Gallup New Mexico 920 miles away. 6 Charging stops 2 hr 2 min of charging. Only 1 planning issue on that leg, planner dinner stop of Captain Tony's Pizza & Pasta Emporium is closed on Tuesdays. So ate at a Pizza Hut in Winslow AZ near the Walmart EA.
This was planned as the longest leg to feel confident on delivery of Scout to the ranch on schedule the following morning.
Though I was a little concerned with increased EVs of having a few waits, I had only one full station. In Kingman Arizona on this first leg we had a Rivian, a Bolt, an ID.4 and an iPace. I had a 5min wait and talked to Rivian driver. He was getting ~80kW at ~60% SoC and blamed the station saying it was a hot day. I said, maybe... I plugged in my Taycan and got over 200kW, maybe not a unit issue. Rivian's have known thermal issues at this time.

Journey: 24 Days

• San Jose to Gallup NM
• to Cimarron NM then Del Norte, CO to Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
• to Parachute, CO to Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
• to Grand Junction, CO to Arches National Park (Utah)
• to Manti-La Sal National Forest
• to Santa Fe, NM (AirBnB) Ballooned in Albuquerque
• to Cimarron, NM to Kingman, AZ to San Jose, CA

Car spotting on return trip:
While charging at the Electrify America in Barstow California, I saw 4 black electric Macan prototypes pull up with one red Taycan sag vehicle. Lots of passengers taking the cars. Talked to a few of them briefly, though they never said what the cars were, they did say they were testing the infrastructure then going to San Francisco and Los Angles (with a heavy German accent).


Car performed great - but not flawlessly:
Only one issue with the vehicle during the trip. When stopping back at the Santa Fe Walmart EA after a day trip the car was at 16%, it started charging like a fiend at 260+kW so we went for a small walk to kill the planning 20min stop. Checking the app after 20min I saw "Charging Error" so I went out to the car and it had indeed stopped after only 6min of charging but received 27kWh so Avg of 274kW (highest I have ever seen). Tried to re-activate at 48% but could not with charging fault. Tried to move car to another unit but car would not go into Drive. "Electrical system error – service necessary". I had this issue once over a year before near my home. Then I scheduled a tow truck and before it had come, I had let the car sit alone with key away and it came back to life. Tried that now but failed to stay away long enough the first time so then we stayed away again for 30min and poof it was well. Really hoping new SW update (7) will fix this problem once and for all.

Fuel Usage:
Electrify America: 1415kWh, 10.5hr, 36 sessions, Avg 17.5min, (135kW avg) $0.00 (less than 30min sessions)
ChargePoint DCFC: 294kWh, 5.2hr, 9 sessions, Avg 35min (57kW avg), $65
Level 2: 18kWh, 2.7hr, 5 sessions, Avg 32min, $2.49
Level 1 at AirBnB: 12.5kWh, 6.8hr, 2 sessions, Avg 3.4hr, $0 (didn't compensate the minor usage)
AZ BestWestern+ Hotel Tesla L2 Charger: 35kWh, 9.2hr, 1 session, $0 (Stoped at 95% target 1hr before departure)
Total costs: $67.51
Figuring average $4/gal fossil fuel cost, efficiency would be 309 MPG.
Figuring non-Porsche Plan for EA but Pass+ with $4 fee:
$442.65+Other Fees $506.16 so 41 MPG for a performance saloon car with 285mm tires in the rear.

Total 1899kWh (figuring charging car back to 100% at end)
Figuring 92% charging efficiency, 335 Wh/mi or 208Wh/km.
Hypermiling? – NEVER, It’s a Porsche!
Top speed allegedly 113mph, during a pass.

Closing Comments:
Wife who is not so pro-EV commented though-out the trip that charging was not a problem, and the car was extremely comfortable, even after sitting in it for 10hrs.
I love the car, one regret is not optioning the massaging seats, but really its fine. Wife did ~300miles of driving, son did about the same, so in my 4600 miles behind wheel, I can imagine no more fun car.

Photos along the way:
Pictures with Stealth

Tourist Pictures

Pre-made Travel Plans:

 

[ciaranob]

Thought you had some fancy custom paint work done until zoomed in and saw the shadow !!

 

[Scandinavian]

Nice trip report @ron_b and some nice photos, thank uou.

I can see that you hve shown the preplanning with ABRP, did you use that or did you allow the car to do some planning. If so, did they match reasonably?

 

[ron_b]

Nice trip report @ron_b and some nice photos, thank uou.

I can see that you hve shown the preplanning with ABRP, did you use that or did you allow the car to do some planning. If so, did they match reasonably?

Thanks @Scandinavian

Yes I did pre-plan with ABRP in order to pick meal and hotel stops. Also verified all non-Electrify America chargers on PlugShare and try to find hotels that offered Charging but only found one hotel on the return trip in Kingman Arizona.

during the drive are used a combination of the vehicles navigation and my routing. The car picked mostly the same chargers and had better estimates of percentages though I’d do modify the ABRP tuning parameters to match my experience with the 4S and 20 inch tires.
I set reference consumption at 65mph to 275Wh/mi and set speed to 10% over limit.
I find that the Taycan’s estimated arrival % to be very accurate, I have been very satisfied with trusting its estimates and generally target charge to arrive at 10% else I do risk the vehicle tuning down the max speed for Range Mode from the 90mph which it allows if using Nav and target % is over 6% or so. I find 90mph as not constraining except when passing when I rotate the Sport Chrono dial to Normal or Sport if necessary.

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