Energy Performance
A road trip from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen to Istanbul and back in the Porsche Taycan. Around 4,400 kilometers, seven countries, and one key question: How does electric mobility work on a long trip like this one?
The mission:
The distance between Stuttgart and Istanbul is about 2,200 kilometers. The distance is covered within two days.The city of Istanbul spans two continents and is a cultural and economic metropolis with a population of 15.6 million. Four Porsche Taycan vehicles undertake the journey from Stuttgart to Istanbul and back again. Around 2,200 kilometers separate Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen and the capital city nestled on the Bosporus Strait. The convoy has planned two days for their drive there, with an overnight stay already booked at a hotel in Belgrade. This could turn out to be quite the adventure, as three issues still remain unclear: Where will they charge? How does that work in Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria? And is electric mobility even suitable for long trips like this one?
The purpose of the “E-xperience Tour” with the four Taycan – a body style currently available in Europe – is to find out. With fully charged batteries, the teams depart from the Porsche Museum and head for the A 8 autobahn, crawling through rush hour traffic.
The challenge is to cover distance efficiently, while observing the speed limit, and charge quickly. But the participants themselves will decide when, where, and for how long to charge. We follow the Taycan Sport Turismo with optional Performance Battery Plus (97 kWh net/105 kWh gross; Taycan Sport Turismo with Performance Battery Plus (2024): Electric power consumption* combined (WLTP) 20.9 – 17.9 kWh/100 km, CO₂ emissions* combined (WLTP) 0 g/km, CO₂ class A ), rear-wheel drive, a top track speed of 230 kmh, output of 320 kW (435 PS), and, according to WLTP, a range of up to 650 kilometers.
Everyone uses the Porsche Charging Planner to plan charging (PCP) and can thus use the Porsche Charging Service. The tool currently enables simple access to around 800,000 charging stations, whereby Porsche customers are always charged a consistent and – in contrast to third-party providers – lower price for electricity at IONITY charging stations. In addition, these charging stations have a plug-and-charge function. The charging process begins automatically when the cable is plugged in. But because the route to Istanbul and back will pass through some countries in which Porsche Charging Service is not yet available, excitement is guaranteed.
The first day is like a charging home game for the Taycan quartet. Just under four hours and 417 kilometers into their journey, it’s time for the first charging stop – on the Tauern Autobahn in Austria.
Although the IONITY high-power charging station at the Golling rest stop is located on the opposite side of the highway, the detour through the underpass takes no more than two minutes. And it’s well worthwhile, as the Taycan battery charges with more than 300 kW and is over 90 percent filled in just 25 minutes. That, plus one more charging stop, is enough to get us to Belgrade, which is around 770 kilometers from Golling. And the teams have the opportunity to recharge their own batteries with coffee and buttered pretzels during the short break.
The landscape grows more spectacular with every mile, as the Radstädter Tauern Pass, the Karawanks mountains, and the Julian Alps come into view. Despite the extraordinary scenery, it’s important to pay close attention to the consumption and charge indicator – and, of course, the occasionally heavy traffic, which eases up again in Slovenia. The speed limit of 130 kmh on the highway is the ideal driving speed for the Taycan, with the journey progressing at a fast and efficient pace. After another four hours of driving, we stop again in Sop, which is located just a few kilometers past the Croatian capital of Zagreb. The village with a population of 350 is currently home to the southernmost IONITY high-power charging station in Europe. With the Taycan plugged in, the teams head over to the bar next door for a great cup of coffee and some delicious snacks.
With a charge of more than 90 percent, the Taycan is back on the highway a short time later, heading for Belgrade. While it is generally faster to charge the battery to just 80 percent and then stop again later to top up, it’s more efficient at this point to charge the Taycan with a little more energy, as there are fewer charging stations on the following section of the route.
For Serbia, which at the time of the “E-xperience Tour” was not yet integrated into the network of the Porsche Charging Service (the service is now offered in Serbia), the teams have downloaded the Charge & Go app, which operates 66 stations throughout the country. But they don’t even need to use it, as the hotel in Belgrade has four 22 kW wall boxes – suitable for the four Taycan, whose batteries, after a good twelve hours of driving and a distance of around 1,200 kilometers covered, are fully recharged overnight.
The teams get an early start on day two of the road trip and head for Istanbul. The Porsche Charging Planner recommends the first charging stop in Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, at one of the country’s currently 22 fast-charging stations that offer a charging capacity of 300 kW. The Fines app provides access to these and another 319 charging stations at 246 locations.
The network of arterial roads through southern Sofia is confusing. It’s only on the second attempt that the teams locate the interchange that leads to the car dealership charging station suggested by the Fines app. The Taycan is in top form and charging with more than 300 kW of electrical energy – the app promptly announces a record: No other electric vehicle has charged with such a high capacity in Bulgaria. We depart again 16 minutes later, as the Porsche Charging Planner recommends the next stop in less than 300 kilometers, just before the Turkish border. There they find a charging station at a hotel in Svilengrad, Bulgaria, and the Taycan charges with 180 kW.
After a short stroll, a coffee, mineral water, and a sandwich, the teams set off on the final leg with a charge of around 90 percent – through the Turkish border and on to Istanbul, with about 275 kilometers to go. After a good 25 hours of driving, the teams finally arrive in Istanbul as the daylight fades and the odometer passes the 2,200-kilometer mark. With plenty of wall boxes in the underground parking garage, charging is a breeze here, too.
After a stay of two days in the city on the Bosporus Strait, we head back for Zuffenhausen on Monday morning, with another overnight stop in Belgrade. The charging planner recommends much the same route on the drive back as it did on the way there. A six-minute charging stop just behind the Turkish-Bulgarian border is enough to get the teams comfortably to Sofia. And this time, they make it all the way to the outstanding 300 kW high-power charging station.
Dynamic atmosphere:
The Taycan always ensures a good time, whether it’s on the highway or on the banks of the Bosporus.
Arrival in Turkey:
Istanbul offers plenty of Turkish sweets to tempt the taste buds.The journey continues with a charge of 81 percent. The teams decide to stop in Lapovo some 100 kilometers ahead of Belgrade, mainly because they’re ready for a break. But this also gives the Taycan a chance to recharge at a Charge & Go fast-charging station. After twelve hours on the road, the teams reach their destination for the day, Belgrade, allowing them to relax and the four Taycan to power up at wall boxes overnight.
The final leg is pretty much routine for the long-distance EVs: a charging stop at the IONITY station in Sop, Croatia, and another at an IONITY charging location in Eisentratten, Austria. And a third, quick stop in Jettingen-Scheppach, some 150 kilometers before the final destination. And then they’re back in Stuttgart. At the Porsche Museum in Zuffenhausen, the onboard computer reports a distance of around 4,400 kilometers, with average consumption below 23 kWh per 100 kilometers. And, in fact, it cost less than 250 euros per vehicle to drive from Stuttgart to Istanbul and back powered by electricity. The facts speak for themselves – electric mobility and long routes make for a good combination!
From Stuttgart to Istanbul
Golling Ost rest stop, Austria
Location: Golling Ost rest stop, highway A 10
Operator: IONITY
Equipment: 7 charging stations, 9 charging points, 7 fast-charging stations (6× 350 kW, 1× 50 kW)
Charging time: 25 minutes
State of charge: 90 percent
Sop, Croatia
Location: Sop, near the A 3/A 4 highway interchange
Operator: IONITY
Equipment: 4 fast-charging stations (350 kW)
Charging time: 30 minutes
State of charge: 90 percent
Belgrade, Serbia
Location: Belgrade, Hilton Hotel
Equipment: 4 wall boxes (22 kW) in the hotel parking lot, free of charge for hotel guests
Charging time: overnight
State of charge: 100 percent
Svilengrad, Bulgaria
Location: Svilengrad, San Stefano, near the A 4 highway/Hotel Caxapa
Operator: Fines
Equipment: 2 fast-charging stations (1× 180 kW, 1× 120 kW)
Charging time: 25 minutes
State of charge: 90 percent
Sofia, Bulgaria
Location: Sofia, Ring Road 260
Operator: Fines/Hyundai
Equipment: 4 fast-charging stations (2× 300 kW, 2× 120 kW)
Charging time: 16 minutes
State of charge: 70 percent
Consumption data
Taycan (2024)
-
19.7 – 16.7 kWh/100 km
-
0 g/km
-
A Class
Taycan Sport Turismo with Performance Battery Plus (2024)
-
20.9 – 17.9 kWh/100 km
-
0 g/km
-
A Class