The all-electric Porsche Taycan has established a UK benchmark for 13 endurance records following a record-breaking 1,000 km run held at Brands Hatch circuit in December 2020.

Two road-registered standard production cars, a Taycan 4S and a Taycan Turbo S, each covered the 1,000 km distance with drivers including Le Mans legend Richard Attwood, 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup GB champion Harry King and 2020 Cayman Islands Porsche Sprint Challenge GB champion James Dorlin. Officiating over the record runs was Motorsport UK, the national membership organisation and governing body for four-wheel motorsport in the UK. Timekeeping and measurement was provided by TSL Timing and all records were ratified by Motorsport UK before being awarded.

In the category of ‘electric cars over 1000 kgs’, a Taycan 4S took the records for time taken from a standing start to cover 50 kms, 50 miles, 100 kms, 500 kms, 500 miles and 1000 kms plus the record for distance covered from a standing start in one hour (61.013 miles / 98.192 kms). At the same time and in the same category, a Taycan Turbo S claimed the records for time taken from a standing start to cover 200 kms, 100 miles and 200 miles plus the records for distance covered from a standing start in three hours (156.806 miles / 252.356 kms), six hours (279.657 miles / 450.065 kms) and 12 hours (569.028 miles / 915.762 kms).

A number of approved venues were suitable for the record runs, the choice falling between a high-speed bowl or race circuit. While a high-speed bowl – Nardo in Italy – was the location when a pre-production Taycan completed 3,425 kms in a non-stop 24 hour run during final testing in 2019, a circuit was chosen to be the venue in 2020 for the 1,000 km runs in the UK. Aside from being a second home for many Porsche models and their owners, a race circuit also presents a completely different – and relevant – set of challenges, including higher energy consumption, which the Taycan is uniquely equipped to meet. Its exceptionally fast charging ability, coupled with maximum regeneration under braking of 265 kWh would be key to success, along with advanced thermal management and exceptional dynamic performance.

The high average speed afforded by the flowing nature of the 1.208-mile (1.944 kms) Brands Hatch Indy circuit was well suited to the record attempt, but Brands Hatch has also been the stage for other key moments in the history of Porsche in endurance competition. In April 1970, a Porsche 917 in the hands of Pedro Rodriguez and Leo Kinnunen won the rain-soaked 1,000 km race by five laps, the drive from Rodriguez still considered to be one of the finest seen in sports car racing. Also on the podium in third that day was another 917, driven by Richard Attwood and Hans Hermann. Two months later the same distinctive red and white Salzburg livery would make Porsche history when the pair took the first outright win for Porsche at Le Mans. In July 1984, Porsche claimed the top six finishing positions with 956 and 962 models at the 1,000 km of Brands Hatch. On the top step of the podium were the drivers of the winning Porsche 956, Jan Lammers and Jonathan Palmer.

50 years after his 1,000 km run at Brands Hatch, Richard Attwood returned to the Kentish circuit to join the driver line-up in a Taycan 4S sporting a specially-designed Salzburg tribute livery. 36 years after his part in the 1,000 km win, Jonathan Palmer returned to join the line up in a Taycan Turbo S finished in a livery harking back to that of the winning 956 from 1984.

The winning 917 from 1970 covered the 1,000 km distance in 6 hours 45 minutes and 29.6 seconds at an average speed of 91.54 mph on the faster Grand Prix circuit. In 2020, the first electric Porsche sports car covered the same distance in 13 hours and 25 seconds at an average speed of 47.77 mph with an average energy consumption of 1.38 miles/kWh (72.5 kWh/100 miles).

The Taycan is the first fully electric production vehicle based on an 800v architecture. This technology enables consistently high performance, decreases the weight and the packaging space of the cabling, and – crucially for the record attempt – reduces the charging time. A maximum charging rate of 270 kWh allows the 93.4 kWh (gross capacity) Performance Battery Plus as equipped on both cars to be charged from five to 80 per cent in 22.5 minutes under ideal conditions. Maximising this fast-charging capability was vital to the success of the attempt and was provided by a mobile, high-power Porsche charging truck capable of storing 2.1 mWh of renewable energy and delivering a stable supply on demand.

The Taycan’s sophisticated thermal management also proved itself a significant asset at Brands Hatch. A highly efficient, intelligent system used to cool and heat the high-voltage components prevents potential power losses due to excessive heat generation and ensures that the optimum temperature for the most efficient charging process. Despite an ambient temperature of around eight degrees Celsius, this thermal management ensured that the battery temperature, required to be around 30 degrees Celsius for optimum charging, was always within range despite the demands of lapping a race circuit at high speed for 515 laps.

Over the course of the 1,000 km record run, the Taycan 4S spent a total of 3 hours and 3 seconds entering or exiting the charging area or charging, which was completed over six stops. On average, each stop lasted around 30 minutes from the car leaving the circuit to rejoining the circuit, the cars charging from around five percent to 85 percent each time.

A bespoke run strategy had been developed for each car, combining a lap-by-lap efficiency target with a target lap time. These core parameters were monitored by the support team and drivers, relying heavily on a combination of the on-board displays, Sports Chrono stopwatch and Porsche Connect app. Communication was maintained between the teams and cars via the onboard PCM system and a connected hands-free mobile phone. Due to the necessity of social distancing and keeping personnel to a minimum, each car was managed by a team of just two, plus a technical representative and an overall coordinator.

The record runs got underway at 07.00 and were completed at 20.00, meaning that many hours were spent lapping in the dark. In a parallel to the race of 1970, intermittent rain and heavy showers ensured the track surface was never any better than damp. Fortunately a star line-up of experienced drivers was on hand to take up the challenge. Joining Richard Attwood in the Salzburg-liveried car and swapping his 911 GT3 Cup for the Taycan 4S was Porsche GB 2020 / 2021 Junior and 2020 Porsche Carrera Cup GB champion Harry King. Alongside Jonathan Palmer in the Taycan Turbo S was 2020 Cayman Islands Porsche Sprint Challenge GB champion James Dorlin. Swapping between both cars was highly experienced UK motoring journalist Colin Goodwin. Each driver completed either two or three stints over the duration of the runs, each stint usually lasting around 90 minutes, which equated to around 80 laps.

Despite the target lap time being conservative against the outright speed of the car, slippery track conditions and the drive for the greatest efficiency required the drivers to maximise corner speed, thereby reducing the acceleration required before the next corner. Both Attwood and Palmer were used to this kind of energy management from their endurance racing career, however it was a new dimension of driving for King and Dorlin. However, both adapted superbly as one driver cascaded their learnings to the next at each pitstop. By the final laps, both cars were achieving around a 5 per cent saving in energy per lap purely through an evolved driving technique.

Supporting the drivers were a number of attributes common to all Taycan derivatives – technology (such as advanced headlight design), linear power delivery and outstanding, repeatable performance. With two permanently excited synchronous electric motors with hairpin winding driving the front and rear wheels, and a two-speed transmission on the rear axle, the overall drive architecture of the Taycan was just one of the technical highlights at the disposal of the drivers.