Porsche’s first ever electric car is busy racking up records
After etching its name in the Guinness World Records book for the longest drift, the Porsche Taycan has now set the fastest lap for an all-electric vehicle at the 4.09 km-long Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, which is located near Porsche Cars North America’s headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
The impressive lap time of 1 minute 33.88 seconds was set by race car driver Leh Keen behind the wheel of a production-spec 2020 Taycan Turbo S, which used the factory fitted Pirelli P Zero NF0 Elect tyres measuring 265/35 at the front and 305/30 at the rear, with 21-inch Mission E wheels. The pressures on all four tyres were adjusted to provide a hot pressure of 41 PSI.
Standard equipment on the Taycan Turbo S include rear wheel steering, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and ceramic composite brakes. The car was also fitted with the optional Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) to ensure it could coupe with the track’s technical esses, long straights and elevation changes.
The lap record attempt was recorded and verified by Racelogic using their VBOX Video HD2 system.
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No matter the body style or powertrain, all Porsche models reflect the same passion for performance, and one of the best ways to show this is to demonstrate it on demanding race tracks. For the Taycan Turbo S, the result of this effort was for it to lap the iconic Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta’s 2.54-mile race track in 1:33.88 minutes. Located just a short distance from the headquarters of Porsche Cars North America, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta’s technical esses, long straights and elevation changes demand excellent feedback, stability and power from any car.
“This track is unforgiving, meaning you have to trust the car completely,” said professional race car driver Leh Keen. But the real surprise came when cornering. The combination of Rear Axle Steering, optional Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport and the well-programmed Sport Plus stability control, enabled Keen to push the electric sports car harder than he thought was possible.
Porsche Taycan sets new handling standards
“The performance through the turns was surprising. Turn-in, in particular, was crisp and consistent, and the steering response was immediate and communicative. The power pins your head back coming out of any corner, and the brakes have excellent feedback,” he added. “The electric motors respond so quickly, the power is right there when I need it, and combined with the active differentials, makes the Taycan a game changer when it comes to handling.”
Representing standard vehicles that are available to customers at authorised Porsche dealer partners across the US, the production-specification 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S took to the track on 3 November at an ambient temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It was fitted with the standard summer tyre Pirelli P Zero NF0 Elect as equipped from the factory, sized 265/35-21 front and 305/30-21 rear, on 21-inch Mission-E design wheels. Tyre pressures were adjusted to provide a hot pressure of 41 PSI across all four tyres for the lap.
Taycan Turbo S with performance features
Standard performance features fitted to the Taycan Turbo S include Rear Wheel Steering with Power Steering Plus, Adaptive Air Suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management, Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus and Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes. In addition, optional Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, which reduces body roll when cornering, was also fitted to the particular Taycan Turbo S used for the lap.
Vehicle data acquisition and timing expert Racelogic was on hand to record and verify the lap time utilising their VBOX Video HD2 system.
