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LETTER OF THE WEEK
Taycan a turn for the worse
I received my new Porsche Taycan 4S in May. The first three months were great, with it regularly getting about 260 miles of range – far more than is quoted by Porsche. As I had it on a PCP, with a view to purchasing at the end, I was meticulous in following Porsche’s recommendations relating to maintaining battery health.
Then in August, it wouldn’t charge after I arrived home on 10%. Over the next nine weeks, my dealer gradually diagnosed the issues, then waited for replacement parts to arrive.
My main concern was that the battery was stuck on 1% for most of this time, as Porsche recommends not performing a deep discharge. It therefore stood to reason that there would be some battery damage.
When the car was finally repaired, I asked for a battery health check. It stated the battery had degenerated to 94%. A 6% loss in a car that had done 5500 miles seemed excessive to me, but the dealer was told by Porsche that this fell within normal limits.
It was immediately clear the range had dropped significantly. Before the issue, it was getting about 250 miles from 85%; after, it was getting 186 miles or fewer. That’s at least a 20% loss in range, likely closer to 25%.