To everyone considering a Taycan, please regard this information. I just finished a buyback on a Jaguar iPace for a faulty main battery, which is very similar to the Taycan battery and also manufactured by LG Chem. Be aware that LG Chem has sent out MANY partially & fully faulty batteries for the iPace. Visit any iPace forum to gather more information on the issues.

There are a number of issues but the most common is for the battery to only have partial capacity. This problem does not result in any warnings nor does the vehicle computer (at least on the iPace) realize there is a fault. No pre-purchase inspection or test will reveal the issue.

As an example, my brand new iPace had an actual capacity of 55 KwH, compared to the 83 kWh it should have. LG Chem does not have a solution for this problem short of replacing the entire battery, which is why JLR has bought back a large number of iPaces. It took about 9 months of iPaces sales for this problem to really pop up. Some believe it has to do with some batteries deteriorating at a far accelerated rate. While I haven't heard of Taycan issues yet, there is a significant risk that LG Chem is still sending out bad batteries.

Do with this information as you will but I haven't seen it reported anywhere. You can visit an iPace forum to see the confirmed cases of a faulty battery, which appears to be somewhere between 5% and 15% of all iPaces sold.

 

Don't know about LG batteries, but LG appliance sucks ..... had a brand new dishwasher and refrigerator and both went kaput within 1 year. The culprit were bad electronic control boards and replacing it is 60% of the cost of a new appliance. Stay away from LG ... it makes Kenmore looks like high-end appliances.

 

While I don't know what Jags specific problems are, I'd caution against painting a picture with too broad a brush against LG (Lucky Goldstar for those of us old enough to remember.) GM has built well over 200,000 plug-in cars (e.g., Volts, Spark EVs, ELRs, Bolt EVs, etc) with LG batteries and has had excellent reliability. I also own a 2016 Volt and after almost 4.5 years and 50+K miles, the battery pack is showing maybe 2% degradation. (E.g., when the car was new, I could eke out about 14.4 kWh from its 18.4 kWh pack before it switched to gas. Whereas last time I tried, it was more like 14.2 kWh.) I've been participating in the gm-volt forum for years and my experience is typical. Very very few failures.

 

As I mentioned, I'm just putting the information out there for potential buyers. I do not know if it is a JLR problem or a LG problem but the iPace batteries have a high failure rate and given that the iPace & Taycan batteries are very similar.. it seems a justified concern. The point is more that anyone buying a 1st gen Taycan is, in fact, a beta tester and should be prepared for potential issues. That doesn't mean not to buy the car, necessarily, just to buy it with caution.

 

Time will tell, of course. If you really want to see battery pack problems, check out the Nissan Leaf forums. I'd never buy one with their current, non-thermal managed, pack design.

 

yeah batteries fail just like engines and transmissions fail - this sounds more like a warranty issue than a problem - and the EV's I own all have 8 year and 100,000 or more mile warranties…

 

Hard to say. For all we know, Jag could have specified some bespoke chemistry, separator, or electrode design that wasn't adequately tested. I've seen pictures of GMs battery testing lab, remember they've been at this since the EV-1, and they are impressive. GM and LG also run joint manufacturing facilities - so there could be proprietary QA processes that Jag hasn't dreamed of. How Porsche fares is anyones guess at this point. They can tap into VAGs knowledge base, of course. But they are still out in their own territory.

 

when you source components from South Korea, you are responsible for your own quality control. It is hard to say what Jaguar has done here. The taycan battery packs are more similar to the Audi E-Tron. So far there doesn’t appear to be known reliability issues with the battery pack itself. The issues https://www.wired.com/story/audi-rec...battery-issue/

are Audi’s failure, not LG. Anyway, this is why these things come with extensive warranties.

 

Sounds like FUD. LG sells many batteries to many different companies for example, I have an LG tv and have NEVER had a problem with the battery and the picture is amazing - and this is after 5 years of ownership.

 

Your concerns are duly noted. It is a good idea that before you buy a 150k+ car, you buy with caution. It isn't as if this is a purchase of a $1 can of soda that if you don't like the flavor can just throw it away.
Thank you for giving people the go ahead to still buy the car. I know I appreciate that and I am sure Porsche does too!

 

You're putting out an issue and making broad assumptions and leaps that the issue is the LG packs. Or somehow the fault of LG. That's not putting out information for potential buyers, that's making a dangerous leap to a conclusion that all LG battery packs have issues. You don't post any links, you don't post any hard facts. Does LG assemble the pack or do they just supply the cells? If someone else constructs the pack, could it be a wiring / connector or control issue? Or is it really a matter of "bad cells".

In this day and age, people fail to see the difference, but it's an important and large one.

 

I did post hard facts. LG Chem makes the iPace battery = fact. A significant portion of iPace owners have had bad batteries within 1 year and had said batteries fully replaced or their cars bought back = fact.

I also -very clearly- stated all facts and -very clearly- stated this does not mean the Taycan will have this issue. But it is outside of the ICE spectrum of things to consider when purchasing a car, and a little more actual relevant information to people would be much more appreciated than the pointless 0-60 times and random range figures that do not truly prepare one for EV ownership.

I get that everyone wants the Taycan to be good. I do, too. But considering I have -never- seen an article mention the potential for a bad battery, which has happened to many early adoption EV, it's something to keep in mind. For reference, a bad battery is very, very far from a simple "warranty repair".. the quoted repair cost can be half or more of the entire car (again, fact) and require an extended waiting period.

So hopefully this raises a concern with someone that is thinking about a move from ICE to EV with the Taycan and spurs them to at least consider this aspect of ownership. Owning a first gen Taycan will be beta testing not only a new model of car for Porsche, but an entirely new generation of technology.

 

hmmm - your facts do not correlate - Jaguar having problems with batteries does not translate to all LG based batteries having problems

and all batteries are warranty repairs for up to 8 years

and many EV owners experiencing battery problems - have “many” of the 400,000 Model 3 owners experienced battery problems? Have many Bolt Owners experience battery problems? so far the only “many” I’ve seen is Jaguar

Is Jaguar charging customers to fix/replace these batteries?

and what quoted repair cost are you referring to - I’m unaware of any broad battery problems that have been laid at the vehicle owner’s feet..

you facts are accurate - your conclusions might be faulty.

 

Quote:

The Taycan's optional 93.4-kWh battery is guaranteed to retain at least 70 percent of its capacity for eight years or 100,000 miles. While several automakers offer the same guarantee, none offers a better high-voltage battery warranty.

unless Porsche/VW starts to reneg on their warranties I’m un-concerned…and battery replacement after 100,000 miles cost is virtually no different than any other major drive train issue out of warranty - have you priced out of warranty PDK tranmission replacement costs - it will surprise you.https://www.caranddriver.com/porsche/taycan

 

Still, no real facts. LG makes the battery, yes. Was the problem with the cells, or somewhere else? Does LG make the pack or the cells? Also, a non-fact...what is this “significant portion”? And you’ve “never” seen an article mention a bad battery? And the bad battery has happened to “many” early EV owners? Also, the battery pack swap is t a simple warranty affair? And it costs half as much as an $80,000 iPace? And they take a long time to get? All of that, hyperbole. No facts.

look, I am very sorry you went through what you did. It sucks and I’d be pissed too. But I think you are painting with a broad brush and generalizing. The packs are covered under long warranties and, at least in the case of Tesla, easy to swap. It’s a half day job. Battery failures are not unheard of, but then again, mention finger followers to a 991.1 GT3 owner. Or IMS bearing to the owner of a 9x6 or 9x7 car and watch them cringe. And this is 100 year old technology! It’s pretty safe to buy an EV these days.