Motoring

ROAD TESTS: The Taycan is set to be available from September

By Joe Gerrard • Published: 03 Apr 2019 • 10:33

TAYCAN TESTING: Porsche is putting its first ever purely electric sports car through its paces. CREDIT: Porsche

GERMAN car maker Porsche is putting its first ever purely electric sports car through its paces across the world ahead of it being produced for sale.

Porsche has taken test models of the Taycan to northern Scandinavia near the Arctic Circle to test it in snow and ice.

The company has also taken models to South Africa, where it is currently summer, for performance tests. Porsche is also carrying out hot-climate endurance runs in Dubai to see who the Taycan’s battery will fare in extreme conditions.

Stefan Weckbach, the company’s head of the Taycan product line, said the latest tests were the last in what has been a “demanding” programme.

“Before the Taycan is launched on the market at the end of the year, we will have covered approximately six million kilometres across the globe.

“We are already very happy with the current status of the vehicles. The Taycan is going to be a true Porsche,” Weckbach said.

The Taycan will be a “true” Porsche when it finally reaches showrooms, Weckbach added.

The company said its electric cars were so far outperforming traditional internal combustion models.

The Taycan has proved that it has unrestricted use in all climate conditions. Battery powered models such as the Taycan are able to give drivers more interior temperature control in even the most extreme conditions, the company added.

The Taycan is set to reach showrooms in September. There are currently around 20,000 buyers interested in the car, which is capable of going from zero to 100 kilometres per hour in about 3.5 seconds.