The test was conducted at the Nardo high-speed track in Italy, nearly the distance from the Porsche headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia to the Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles, California.
With peak temperatures of 107 degrees Fahrenheit (41.67 degrees Celcius) and a track temperature of up to 129 degrees (53.89 degrees Celcius), the average speed was kept between 121 and 133mph (196 and 215kph).
The test was carried out without interruptions, as the prototype only stopped for quick charging and driver changes among six factory test drivers.
The Taycan is the first fully electric production vehicle with a system voltage of 800 volts - the same system that helped the 919 Hybrid win the 24 Hours of Le Mans three consecutive times and is now making the leap into series production.
The 800-volt technology enables consistently high performance, reduces the charging time and decreases the weight and the packaging space of the cabling.
During the endurance test drive at the Nardo Technical Center, the 800-volt charging stations by Porsche Engineering Group GmbH were used and will also be used in the joint venture with Ionity.
It was also found that the Taycan’s thermal management system also proved itself in Nardo.
The thermal management revolves around a highly efficient, intelligent system for cooling and heating the high-voltage components.
This prevents potential power losses due to excessive heat generation and ensures the optimum temperature for the most efficient charging process has been reached when the vehicle arrives at a charging station.
The new Porsche Taycan not only exhibits endurance but its electric powertrain has been designed in such a way that it can unleash its full power even after accelerating several times at short intervals.
At the end of July, a prototype vehicle accelerated down an airfield from a complete stop to 124mph (201kph) no less than 26 successive times.
The average acceleration figure from the timed runs was under 10 seconds, with a 0.8-second difference between the fastest and slowest acceleration runs.
“The Taycan mastered this ambitious endurance run without any problems. The result achieved in Nardo highlights the advantages of the unique 800-volt technology and its high maturity level. Before the Taycan is launched by the end of the year, we will have covered over 3.7 million test miles across the globe," said Porsche vice president product line (Taycan) Stefan Weckbach.
The Nardo Technical Center has more than 20 test tracks and test facilities on an area covering over 700 hectares, counts 90 companies in the automotive sector among its customers and employs more than 150 staff.
Since 2012, the test site has been run by Porsche Engineering Group GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart.
The test centre was established in 1975 with the construction of the iconic circuit and offers extensive testing options for any development phase.
The high-speed circuit – the only one of its kind in the world and measuring 7.8 miles (12.64km) – was built in order to be able to test cars under extreme conditions and make development processes more efficient.
The renovation of the test centre was successfully completed in mid-July which included improvements such a complete renovation of the 26-acre driving dynamics site and the installation of an innovative crash barrier system developed by Porsche Engineering for high-speed testing.
