Porsche Taycan gets a surprisingly low range rating in the US

The establishment’s first genuine attack on Tesla’s Model S has come up short, according to US authorities. But there’s more to the story than first thought.

A trans-Atlantic tiff could be brewing after the United States’ Environmental Protection Authority slapped Porsche’s first electric sports car, the Taycan Turbo with a surprisingly low range estimate.

US media have reported the car’s “disappointing” result, pointing out that it falls well short of its hometown hero, the Tesla Model S.

The Porsche was rated by the EPA as having a range of 201 miles or 323km. This is well short of the shortest range Tesla Model S at 287 miles or 462km. The Long Range Model S blows the Porsche out of the water with a 595km range.

The Porsche Taycan has been slapped with a lower than expected range figure by the US EPA. Picture: Supplied.

The EPA results also contrast sharply with the range estimates produced by the European Union’s Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) standard.

In the WLTP test the Taycan and the standard-range Tesla Model S get exactly the same 450km range

Alongside price, range anxiety remains the biggest buyer turn-off for electric vehicle buyers, so the EPA results are a significant black eye for Porsche and a marketing coup for the Tesla.

Porsche hasn’t cried foul, but must have anticipated the poor result, because the company commissioned independent tests in the US that produced vastly different results to the EPA.

The company says it asked AMCI Testing to evaluate the Taycan Turbo’s range “to help customers make more informed decisions”.

Porsche says real-world tests of the Taycan have demonstrated better range. Picture: Supplied.

It says: “AMCI Testing is an independent automotive research firm, specialising in unbiased evaluations of automotive products.”

The AMCI tests were done on public roads in and around Southern California and Porsche says the final result was calculated by averaging performance over five test cycles. The car’s range was rated at 275 miles, much closer to the WLTP rating.

The discrepancy between the various tests can be explained by differences in the individual testing procedures. The EPA does its test in controlled conditions in a laboratory. The car is empty and it rolls on a dynamometer, which means the wheels turn but the car goes nowhere. The test is conducted in doors and the laboratory is kept at room temperature. An electric vehicle’s performance suffers noticeably in extreme heat or cold.

The Tesla Model S has significantly more range than the Porsche. Picture: Supplied.

Critics say laboratory tests can be “gamed” by car makers, using tricks such as pumping up the tyres to reduce rolling resistance and improve efficiency.

The European WLTP standard, introduced in 2017, is claimed to be a better reflection of real-world driving conditions and the range estimates more accurate.

It was implemented after consumer groups proved that a number of petrol and diesel vehicles were getting nowhere near the fuel efficiency they claimed. The test is still done in a laboratory but incorporates real-world data collected from around the globe.

The Porsche Taycan was trumped by a Tesla at the Nurburgring. Picture: Supplied.

The EPA results will add fuel to the fire of a growing rivalry between Porsche and Tesla. The two have traded barbs over recent testing times around the Nurburgring. A new special edition of the Model S was recorded running a much faster time than the Taycan. Porsche responded by claiming the Tesla was heavily modified and drove on faster semi-slick tyres. Tesla boss Elon Musk hit back, claiming the vehicle that lapped the circuit will be put into production in 2020.