epirali
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Edmund
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2020
- Threads
- 13
- Messages
- 752
- Reaction score
- 1,124
- Location
- USA, East Coast
- Vehicles
- RS Etron GT, Jaguar I-Pace, BMW i8, ex Taycan TTS
- Thread starter
- #1
This is a common question so I decided to start a thread for discussion, and to answer some questions and get information collected for others where this may be theirs first EV.
For range I know that both using range and driving style can have a big impact. If you have not had an EV you will develop the skills on how to drive for range. Essentially minimize the acceleration rate and avoid as much hard braking as possible. Be patient. If you drive like “grandma” as I call it you can get 20% more range easily in most (I am sure Taycan is no different). The range setting will probably use more efficient front/rear wheel dynamics and will use 2nd gear. The power meter in the center is your friend, keep it as close to center as you can. Regen is great but is only 40-50% efficient, so if you rely on regen all the time you are only recouping 50% of the power. If you avoid it then you are even better off.
In cold climates precondition the car, it will keep the battery at optimal performance. Definitely preheat/precook the cabin when connected to EVSE to avoid drawing from battery. This way the initial temperature mass of the car is changed without using the battery. But setting the temperature itself by a few degrees won’t make much difference. On or off may depending on how cold/hot it is.
Not all routes are equal. Climbing/descending altitude is not your friend and in some of the cars the navigation will show me an “eco” route and elevation is part of the calculation to minimize battery use. Haven’t seen that yet in Taycan but I also have not looked yet. Or maybe its part of the option package the maximizes range? I don’t have that one.
Be sure your tires are properly inflated. Rolling resistance is a big hit. That is why so many EVs use the low rolling resistance and narrow tires. Obviously this is NOT an option on the Taycan but under inflated tires will impact range. Obviously the wider the tires the better the contact/handling but more resistance. Also usually summer tires will eat up a little range. This is why I say when people complain that Taycan should have more range they are not considering it would defeat the entire purpose of the car. The compromises to maximize range would result in a Bolt not a Taycan. You can’t have it all. The Chevy Bolt really can do 200-240 like the Taycan, but with a battery that is 60KWHr instead of 90. If it helps the Jaguar I Pace made similar decisions and gets very similar range to the Taycan. But recently they rolled out an update that added 20% more range to Eco from studying the data of all the drivers. And it really does work my eco range has gone up. Audi apparently has done something similar, so its not out of the question Porsche can do that after collecting real life data.
Don’t worry too much about battery charge level. The battery is there to be used, so charge it and use it. Avoid leaving it at empty for long period of times (days) and if you are not going to drive it for more than a week leave the charge ideally between 40-60. Don’t store at 100 for months. There will be some degradation over time, but ICE engines lost efficiency over time, we just don’t pay attention to it. But unliked first generation EVs the battery chemistry is vastly improved, cars like the Taycan have VERY aggressive battery temperature management for performance and temperature is/was one of the worst enemies of longevity. So it shouldn’t be a huge issue. Also remember you have a very long warranty on the battery.
Avoid using fast charges unless you need them. Tesla kept pretending there is no hit to the battery and all their cars had to be throttled on charging after while as the batteries were degrading. I am not talking about every time, but there were owners who just fast charged every time instead of plugging in at home. Use it when you need it, on trip, on the road, but don’t use it in place of charging at 7-9WHr at home.
Sorry for the long post, I am trying to relay info I have learned over years of EV ownership. Hope it helps.
For range I know that both using range and driving style can have a big impact. If you have not had an EV you will develop the skills on how to drive for range. Essentially minimize the acceleration rate and avoid as much hard braking as possible. Be patient. If you drive like “grandma” as I call it you can get 20% more range easily in most (I am sure Taycan is no different). The range setting will probably use more efficient front/rear wheel dynamics and will use 2nd gear. The power meter in the center is your friend, keep it as close to center as you can. Regen is great but is only 40-50% efficient, so if you rely on regen all the time you are only recouping 50% of the power. If you avoid it then you are even better off.
In cold climates precondition the car, it will keep the battery at optimal performance. Definitely preheat/precook the cabin when connected to EVSE to avoid drawing from battery. This way the initial temperature mass of the car is changed without using the battery. But setting the temperature itself by a few degrees won’t make much difference. On or off may depending on how cold/hot it is.
Not all routes are equal. Climbing/descending altitude is not your friend and in some of the cars the navigation will show me an “eco” route and elevation is part of the calculation to minimize battery use. Haven’t seen that yet in Taycan but I also have not looked yet. Or maybe its part of the option package the maximizes range? I don’t have that one.
Be sure your tires are properly inflated. Rolling resistance is a big hit. That is why so many EVs use the low rolling resistance and narrow tires. Obviously this is NOT an option on the Taycan but under inflated tires will impact range. Obviously the wider the tires the better the contact/handling but more resistance. Also usually summer tires will eat up a little range. This is why I say when people complain that Taycan should have more range they are not considering it would defeat the entire purpose of the car. The compromises to maximize range would result in a Bolt not a Taycan. You can’t have it all. The Chevy Bolt really can do 200-240 like the Taycan, but with a battery that is 60KWHr instead of 90. If it helps the Jaguar I Pace made similar decisions and gets very similar range to the Taycan. But recently they rolled out an update that added 20% more range to Eco from studying the data of all the drivers. And it really does work my eco range has gone up. Audi apparently has done something similar, so its not out of the question Porsche can do that after collecting real life data.
Don’t worry too much about battery charge level. The battery is there to be used, so charge it and use it. Avoid leaving it at empty for long period of times (days) and if you are not going to drive it for more than a week leave the charge ideally between 40-60. Don’t store at 100 for months. There will be some degradation over time, but ICE engines lost efficiency over time, we just don’t pay attention to it. But unliked first generation EVs the battery chemistry is vastly improved, cars like the Taycan have VERY aggressive battery temperature management for performance and temperature is/was one of the worst enemies of longevity. So it shouldn’t be a huge issue. Also remember you have a very long warranty on the battery.
Avoid using fast charges unless you need them. Tesla kept pretending there is no hit to the battery and all their cars had to be throttled on charging after while as the batteries were degrading. I am not talking about every time, but there were owners who just fast charged every time instead of plugging in at home. Use it when you need it, on trip, on the road, but don’t use it in place of charging at 7-9WHr at home.
Sorry for the long post, I am trying to relay info I have learned over years of EV ownership. Hope it helps.
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