Porsche Taycan Sets New EV Altitude Record At Over 5,000 Metres

High altitudes have always been the bane of many ICE-powered cars, as most of them simply can’t run properly on higher levels due to thin air. While EVs won’t be gasping for air in higher altitudes like ICEs, they’re still facing some external factors like extreme cold weather that’ll somewhat affect both its motor and battery performance.

The Porsche Taycan EV has another world record title to its name!

This circumstance has prompted EV automakers to put their product on the test, in a bid to showcase its reliability and durability, even under extreme altitudes. And this is exactly what Porsche did to its Taycan Cross Turismo, as this all-electric fast wagon recently broke a Guinness World Record for the greatest altitude change experienced by an electric vehicle.

During its 10-day record-breaking run, the Taycan Cross Turismo managed to hurdle through an extreme altitude change of 5,573 metres, as the EV wagon drove across the Tibet region of China, which is home to some of the tallest summits in the world.

The Taycan Cross Turismo traversed through some of the lowest and highest elevation points on Earth

On the contrary, the Taycan journey started off at one of the lowest points in the world – the Ayding Lake. At 218.845 metres below the sea level, this dry lakebed served as a perfect starting point for the Taycan’s record run. From the negative altitude, the Taycan Cross Turismo managed to climb through several mountain ranges and experienced extreme altitude changes, with the EV wagon eventually reaching the highest altitude at the Hongtu Daban summit, which measures 5,355.134 metres above sea level.

Aside from the extreme altitude change, the Taycan Cross Turismo also needs to combat other external factors like unpredictable weather conditions, extreme temperature changes ranging from 70-degree Celsius to sub-zero figures, as well as the complex and changing terrain and road conditions across the Xinjiang-Tibet route – one of the world’s tallest highways. Through this 2,783 KM journey, the two Taycan 4 Cross Turismos travelled across some of China's most picturesque natural landmarks such as the Tarim Poplar Forest, Torum Grand Canyon, Gobi Desert, and many more.

Aside from extreme altitude, the Taycan also faced some extreme weathers and cold temperatures

Through this remote region, EV charging facilities can be quite scarce, with multiple charging points scattered alongside the highway only catering for 120 kW of maximum DC charging rate. To make matters worse, the Taycan also needed to cross the 760-KM stretch of no-man’s land in the Kunlun and Tianshan mountains, where no charging points were in place.

As a result, the two Taycans needed four days to cross this snowy stretch, with juices provided by the EnjoyElec mobile charging station – a start-up in which Porsche Ventures has strategically invested. Aside from mobile charging stations, the Taycan also gained some juice through regenerative braking, with many of the route’s downhill stretches granting the Taycans with over 275 kW of energy recuperation.

In spite of all these extreme challenges, the Porsche Taycan’s 800-volt battery architecture managed to perform rather well, with the car’s multiple driving modes such  as a dedicated gravel mode also allowing it to transverse through the rough patches with ease.

The Taycan recently completed the Bangkok-Singapore EV run in under 30 hours!

Furthermore, this is not the first time Porsche has put its Taycan EV under immense real-world pressure, as the marque previously ‘raced’ one of this Taycan Cross Turismo from Bangkok, Thailand to Singapore, passing through the Peninsula Malaysia region. During this “Taycan Record Run”, the Taycan 4S Cross Turismo managed to cross over 1,845 KM in under 30 hours – setting a new world record in the process.