Porsche has updated its family of Taycan electric vehicles (EVs), increasing their charging speeds, giving them more power and performance, and even extending the range they can travel on a single charge of their battery packs. In terms of the EV marketplace right now, it would seem the best has just got better.
All three bodies available from launch
Available to order from spring, all three Taycans will be available as updated cars from the off: that means the regular saloon, the Sport Turismo estate and the Cross Turismo lifestyle wagon. Buyers of all three lines have access to four different electric powertrains too, which means there are 12 updated Taycan models. No word yet, though, on the updated Taycan GTS.
For both the Taycan saloon and the Sport Turismo estate, the choices are a single-motor entry-level for each with no suffix badging, then the twin-motor 4S comes into play before the lines top out with the monster Turbo and Turbo S derivatives.
It's largely the same score for the off-road-themed Cross Turismo, but as it has a pretence of go-anywhere ability, the base model is the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo with all-wheel drive; there's no single-motor variant for this body type.
It would seem all the powertrains have had a power boost, although Porsche hasn't outlined every single one's increase in detail. Instead, it has revealed little snippets and the main headlines - so the regular Taycan model, for instance, gains an additional 82hp, which means that instead of maxing out at 380hp nominally and rising to 476hp on overboost, now it can always produce up to 462hp.
Porsche says each version can have up to 95hp dolloped into the mix at any given point when pressing the 'push-to-pass' button (as part of the Sport Chrono package), which means performance is even more impressive than before.
Up to 952hp (!)
But nowhere is this more evident than with the astonishing Turbo S flagship propulsion system. It previously produced 625hp when not in Launch Control mode, rising to 761hp with said setting activated - enough to propel the top Taycan from 0-100km/h in just 2.8 seconds and 0-200km/h in 9.8 seconds.
However, Porsche seems to have gone nuts with the Turbo S in the revised line, because it has fully 190hp more in Launch Control mode. That means a mind-bending 952hp, making this EV the most powerful production road car the company has ever made, eclipsing the 918 Spyder.
It's enough of a fillip to see the 0-100km/h time of the Turbo S tumble 0.4 seconds to just 2.4 seconds. Even the base model cars with the single motor now have a 0.6-second quicker 0-100km/h time, running the benchmark sprint in 4.8 seconds.
Faster car, faster battery recharging
The best news is that the Taycan family hasn't just got quicker in terms of bare acceleration numbers, it should also be a faster car point-to-point due to two further factors: increased one-shot driving range and faster battery replenishment times.
Depending on the body variant and engine, Porsche says the WLTP range has increased to a maximum 678km - an increase of 175km, or 35 per cent. This will be down to a larger power pack in the Performance Battery Plus (PBP) spec, which was previously 93.4kWh (83.7kWh usable). Porsche says the new PBP is uprated to 105kWh, bringing about the increased range.
Yet it's the increased maximum charging speed which should help owners get on their way again in short order. Thanks to its advanced 800-volt architecture, the Taycan's DC peak recharging rate has increased 50kW to 320kW now, which Porsche says can halve the 10-80 per cent charging time.
So, when it would have taken 37 minutes to add that 70 per cent of battery life on the pre-facelift models at 15 degrees Celsius and 270kW, now the big Porsche can pull off the same trick in the same conditions in just 18 minutes if you can find a charger powerful enough. The German company has also increased the maximum rate of brake-energy recuperation to 400kW at high road speeds; that's a more than 30 per cent increase in efficiency.
Tech updates and mildly tweaked looks
In terms of other changes, every new Taycan features adaptive air suspension as standard. As an option on the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive models, Porsche Active Ride suspension can be specified. This system uses clever technology to always keep the body of the Taycan level, even when accelerating, braking or cornering hard.
Other measures which help with the range include a weight reduction across the board of up to 15kg - despite every Taycan coming with more equipment than before - the fitment of aerodynamically optimised 21-inch wheels and reduced-rolling-resistance tyres as standard and revised thermal management incorporating a next-generation heat pump.
Wisely deciding that if it ain't broke and all that, Porsche hasn't done a huge amount to the aesthetics of the revised Taycan, either inside or out. However, if you look carefully, the front of the car has new front wings and flatter headlight units, these latter items fitted with high-resolution HD matrix illumination tech and four-point signatures.
Besides this, the Porsche logo in the rear light strip has a 3D, glass-look appearance and can be illuminated for the first time as an option, while a new colour - Turbonite - is specific to the Turbo and Turbo S models of the Taycan family.
Inside, Porsche has tidied up the user interfaces for the Curved Display instrument cluster, the central Porsche Communication Management (PCM) infotainment screen and the optional Passenger Display, adding more functions to each of them.
Apple CarPlay is said to be "more deeply integrated" in the vehicle's onboard software, while a driving mode switch on the steering wheel is standard fit on all models. There's also the In-Car Video app, which allows video streaming on the central PCM and passenger-side displays.
'A game changer and innovative pioneer'
The revised Taycan models are available to order now from the Dublin Porsche Centre, and with almost 150,000 examples of the EV already sold worldwide since it launched five years ago, it's a vitally important car for the manufacturer.
Kevin Giek, the head of the Taycan model line, said: "We ushered in the new era of e-mobility with the Taycan at the end of 2019. It immediately proved to be a game changer and innovative pioneer in the e-vehicle segment.
"We are now continuing this success story with the extensively updated Taycan. The model line has reached new heights in terms of performance, with exceptional dynamics and driving pleasure. At the same time, we were able to significantly improve efficiency, range, day-to-day usability and comfort."
Porsche Taycan Irish pricing
The updated Taycan is available to order now from Porsche Centre Dublin. The base model costs from €110,446, rising to €131,683 for the 4S and €230,534 for the Turbo S. The Taycan Cross Turismo is priced at €123,597 for the '4', rising to €232,113 for the Turbo S, while the Taycan Sport Turismo starts at €111,519.