A pair of relatively minor software updates to the Taycan Turbo S over the last couple of years have led to meaningful performance improvements
As we know from its design, Porsche isn’t a fan of massive changes. But sometimes, small improvements made in the background end up having surprisingly significant results on vehicles, such as the all-electric Taycan Turbo S.
As Porsche’s first modern electric vehicle, it was only natural that the brand would find ways to improve it. And so it has, with independent performance testing suggesting that it can now reach its top speed a full second quicker than it could two years ago.
In new testing, the Taycan Turbo S has demonstrated improved acceleration performance, achieving faster speeds at various points along its journey to a top speed of 150 mph (241 km/h), as reported by Car and Driver. It’s faster to 90 mph (145 km/h), 120 mph (193 km/h), and through the quarter-mile, running the distance in 10.3 seconds at 132 mph (212 km/h), instead of 10.5 seconds at 130 mph (209 km/h).
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Porsche Taycan Turbo S Acceleration
Read: Porsche Is Taycan Its Time, Slowly Developing 1,000 HP Turbo GT
Interestingly, despite the overall improved performance, the Taycan Turbo S doesn’t achieve a quicker 0-60 mph (96 km/h) time. This hints at the underlying mechanism responsible for the performance enhancement, which is known as “overboost” or the ability to run excess power through an electric motor for short periods of time.
Porsche was aware of the overboost capability when it initially launched the Taycan but understood the potential risks of prolonged use, which could potentially damage the electric motor. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, the automaker limited the overboost function to operate for only three seconds at a time.
As Porsche gained insights into how Taycan owners utilized their vehicles and observed how the motors handled extended use, the company grew more confident in the durability of its electric motors. Consequently, Porsche extended the function from the initial three seconds to now allow drivers to experience up to 10 seconds of overboost.
That explains why the Taycan Turbo S is faster to every acceleration milestone except 60 mph (96 km/h), because it already completed that in less than three seconds. As to why Porsche never mentioned it, well that’s not 100 percent clear. Maybe it’s because of German humility, or because the gains happened over the course of two updates and a couple of years, so each might have been less impressive than the sum of the two.
Whatever the case, we’re sure Taycan owners will be thrilled to learn that their car is faster than they initially thought. They should just remember that those gains are only available in Sport Plus mode, under launch control conditions.
