Porsche has released an update for its best-selling model, the all-electric Taycan, and the improvements brought by the new software version signify the dawn of a new age in automotive technology. To be fair, Tesla has been delivering improvements via over the air updates for years now, and Jaguar is doing it too, but Porsche’s update pack for 2021 is comprehensive and highly targeted.
First, in terms of performance, optimizations in the way the motors work with the 2-speed transmission bring the time needed to do the 0 – 124 mph sprint down to just 9.6 seconds, which is 0.2 seconds faster than before. This can be easily disregarded as negligible, but considering how much testing and optimization goes into these sports cars during their development, it is an impressive feat no doubt. It’s also amazing that Porsche’s engineers continue to dig into the systems, finding potential improvement opportunities that were previously missed.
The air suspension models will now also receive a new function called “Smartlift”, which enables the detection if speed humps or other elements that require higher ground clearance and raise the ride height automatically when it’s needed.
The infotainment system is also getting some love, with an updated maps pack, detailed traffic information in the navigation screen, and the addition of Apple Podcasts and Apple CarPlay.
The charging functions were also improved, pushing warning notifications to the driver now when the charge isn’t adequate to cover the distance set in the navigation system. Furthermore, there’s a new battery-saving system that promises to help improve battery longevity and efficiency by keeping the charge rate below maximum, thus maintaining a certain temperature in the cells.
The only catch here is that Taycan owners will have to bring their cars to a Porsche Centre in order to apply the update, as some drive components will have to be re-calibrated to ensure that the driving experience remains top-notch. It’s all being done for free, and all Taycans purchased before September 2020 are applicable for the update.
