An extraordinary car requires an extraordinary launch. The first electric sports car from Porsche demanded a very special programme on which to give the world’s media their first chance to drive it – and Taycan Roadtrip Europe was just that.
Setting off from Oslo on 17th September, and arriving in Stuttgart 19 days later, Taycan Roadtrip Europe took in nine countries in total and gave no fewer than 365 members of the world’s media the opportunity to drive the new Porsche Taycan.
At the beginning of the event, Mayk Wienkötter, Spokesperson Model Line Taycan and E-Mobility, said: “We have set out to demonstrate the thrilling way that the Taycan drives alongside its sheer usability, with a journey from city to city across Europe. This is only possible due to our car’s range, which is up to 450km according to WLTP, and efficient charging infrastructure that already exists.”
Each day, the media would set off in a staggered convoy of anything up to 18 cars, with a blend of Taycan Turbo and Turbo S variants. In the weeks and months leading up to the event, the routes had been carefully curated to offer a mixture of city streets, exhilarating back roads and motorways, which included sections of de-restricted autobahn when the route reached Germany.
A total of 87,930 km
If the day’s route was long enough, a lunch and charging stop at one of IONITY’s charging stations was scheduled, with meals being served from an Airstream travel trailer, towed from stop to stop by a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid, with a towing capacity of 3,000 kg. Charging times were never more than twenty minutes, and rates of 260 kW and above were recorded.
Three stills photographers and two video crews were on hand throughout, ensuring that the media got the support they needed to do their jobs efficiently, capturing images as the Taycan travelled through some of the most iconic scenery in Europe. From the Scandinavian shoreline to the mountains of the Austrian Alps, from the windmills of the Low Countries to the forests of Germany, they recorded stunning images of the Taycan, which carries the Porsche DNA into the electric age.
As Miro Demel, Manager Event Communication at Porsche, said: “Media from 46 different countries took part in the expedition, driving a total of 87,930 km between them. That equates to more than twice round the world. With their electric powertrains, the Taycan did not consume a single litre of petrol, but, according to our records, their drivers did get through more than 200l of coffee, nearly 1500 burgers, 30 kg of chocolate and no fewer than 15 party boxes of Haribo …”
However, the last comments should come from some of the media guests, who attended Taycan Roadtrip Europe and, on it, formed their opinions on this most important of new Porsche sports cars.
Auto Express Magazine said “the new Porsche Taycan could well be the finest and most complete electric car we’ve ever driven. It handles like a sports car, with savage acceleration and an agile, rewarding chassis – yet offers four seats and a usable range. Price will limit its popularity to begin with, but if the entry level models are anything like as good as this top spec Turbo S – and we’ve little reason doubt they will be – the Taycan could go from being a great EV, to being a great car full stop.”
BBC Top Gear Magazine said, “Stuttgart’s first EV is a proper Porsche – massively fast, great to drive, quick to charge and practical enough to use every day.”
18 Taycan set out from Oslo and 18 arrived in Stuttgart, having driven the equivalent of twice round the world, without a single scratch on them. It was truly the extraordinary event such an extraordinary car deserved.
