Porsche Taycan 4S Uses Pikes Peak To Stay Charged

Big Problem

While the Porsche Taycan features some pretty impressive charging technology built into it, there are plenty of places where EV chargers have yet to pop up. One of those places is Pikes Peak, the rather tall mountain in Colorado that also happens to host one of the most iconic motorsports events in the world each year. After driving up the now-paved surface leading to the peak, which is 14,115 feet above sea level, Car and Driver found itself in a bit of a pickle recently with just 12 miles of range left.

Photos: Mike Urbano for Car and Driver

Creating Power

The nearest EV charger to Pikes Peak is 30 miles away in Colorado Springs, but Car and Driver had full confidence that the 5,000+ pound sedan could add some power back into its battery pack via regenerative braking on the way down the mountain. As it turns out, that's precisely what it did.

Photos: Mike Urbano for Car and Driver

>>Join the conversation about the Taycan 4S on Pikes Peak right here in the Rennlist forum.

Major Regen

On the 17 miles heading down, the Taycan is capable of providing up to 0.30 g of regen, which is essentially the same amount of force as braking to a stop at 70 mph on a flat 550-foot exit ramp. In total, the Taycan can supply up to 265 kilowatts to its 83.7-kWh lithium-ion pack.

Photos: Mike Urbano for Car and Driver

>>Join the conversation about the Taycan 4S on Pikes Peak right here in the Rennlist forum.

Care Required

Of course, the driver must take full advantage of this by staying off the car's real brakes and maximizing the use of regen as much as possible. EV owners will be happy to tell you that this is pretty easy to do once you get the hang of it, however, and brakes are rarely needed to slow down or stop.

Photos: Mike Urbano for Car and Driver

>>Join the conversation about the Taycan 4S on Pikes Peak right here in the Rennlist forum.

New Record

In this case, the driver barely had to use the Taycan's brakes, which resulted in a pretty impressive trip on the way down the scenic road. When they stopped at Glen Cove at 11,440 feet for a brake temperature check, in fact, the Taycan set a new Pikes Peak record at 67 degrees, far lower than the 900 degrees many front rotors incur on this same trip.

Photos: Mike Urbano for Car and Driver

>>Join the conversation about the Taycan 4S on Pikes Peak right here in the Rennlist forum.

Adding Range

From the mountain's summit to the entrance gate, C&D managed to add 17 percent - or 48 miles - to the Taycan's battery pack. Thanks to a downward drive back to Colorado Springs, the car actually added even more power on its way into town, bringing total range up to 100 miles, amazingly enough. 

Photos: Mike Urbano for Car and Driver

>>Join the conversation about the Taycan 4S on Pikes Peak right here in the Rennlist forum.

Coasting

Of course, driving uphill would result in some problems, but this test is impressive, regardless. The ability to recharge one's battery pack while coasting downhill is a pretty nifty feature present in modern-day EVs, and one that saved C&D from having to call a tow truck on this particular day.

Photos: Mike Urbano for Car and Driver

>>Join the conversation about the Taycan 4S on Pikes Peak right here in the Rennlist forum.

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