A high-ranking executive at Porsche says the company’s “main target” for its electric vehicles is reduced charging times rather than improved range.
Michael Steiner, member of Porsche’s executive board responsible for research and development, was speaking to journalists during an online roundtable event after the Zuffenhausen-based firm’s annual press conference.
“We have as a main target the charging time. From our point of view, it doesn’t make sense to look only at range. With range, you add battery weight and you add additional CO2 footprint from the cell production,” Steiner said in response to a question from CARmag.co.za.
“So, we are looking to reduce recharging times. Today, we are slightly above 20 minutes [for a zero to 80 percent charge]; our strategic target is to come down to the region of 10 minutes for recharging 80 percent of the battery.
“This is a strategic target – you will not see this within the next [few] years – but we are looking forward to significantly reducing charging times. If so, we see this as a huge advantage in terms of customer acceptance for long-distance driving.”
Steiner said Porsche buyers do not “need a huge range” for “everyday driving”, pointing out long-distance capability will depend largely on “super-fast charging and infrastructure”.
Fitted with the Performance Battery Plus, Porsche says the base Taycan is capable of travelling up to 484 km (using the WLTP method) on a single charge, while the latest version of the flagship Taycan Turbo S has a maximum listed range of 416 km.
