TAYCAN ACROSS EUROPE GRAND TOUR
DUTCH COURAGE
Driving from the Netherlandsto Serbia in 24 hourssounds doable.
Butin an EV? NeilWinn charges up a Porsche Taycan and goesfor broke
PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN BRADSHAW
A single line: that’s all that separates us from failure or glory. I’m standing in the Dutch town of Eijsden, with a silent Porsche Taycan on one side and the Belgian border just ahead.
Before us lie 1110 miles, 11 further lines and a single pass of a 24-hour clock. At least in theory, because while crossing the first line is a simple task, it will also start the challenge of 13 countries in 24 hours in an EV. A full day and night will essentially be condensed into 12 single moments: 12 lines, with only the last counting.
The premise for the trip is a simple one. Over the next 24 hours, our plan is to visit as many countries in continental Europe as possible behind the wheel of a Porsche Taycan, giving us the opportunity to find out how far EV design and the public fast-charging network have already come. Range anxiety? Charging anxiety? We will get it all.
Not too long ago, this kind of adventure would have only been an option for Tesla owners thanks to the company’s widespread Supercharger network, but over the past few years a joint venture called Ionity – formed by the BMW Group, Ford Motor Company, Hyundai Motor Group and Volkswagen Group – has been rolling out 350kW charging stations across the continent. And because they are placed on the most commonly traversed thoroughfares, we found it surprisingly easy to schedule in six charging stops along our route, none of which required a major detour.
Six stops might sound like a lot of downtime, but with the Taycan’s maximum charging rate of 270kW, it should take around 20 minutes to go from 10-80% – just enough time for us to grab a coffee.
Before setting off, we had our doubts that the Taycan could get close to its official 316-mile range while travelling at motorway speeds, but after a few hours on the road, it was clear that its trip computer’s prediction was falling at a steady rate of about a mile for every mile driven.