Porsche EV breaks altitude record

At the top of Hongtu Daban in Tibet, a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo EV conquered a new record for the greatest altitude change by an electric car: 5 573,979 meters.

The record-breaking altitude change brought dramatic changes in temperature, air pressure, geological conditions, and other surprises from the natural world.

Two Taycans Cross Turismo were able to meet challenges from surface temperatures of 70°C to frozen, icy roads,  from busy cities to a 5 000-meter-high no-man’s land.

The route’s roadmap itself was a collection of placenames that impress off-road driving enthusiasts: the Tomur Grand Canyon, Tarim Poplar Forest, Sansha Desert Highway, Dukou-Lunque Highway, and the G219 National Highway, as well as many more obscure, treacherous dirt and gravel roads that were littered with potholes.

Energy management crucial

“On long journeys, a realistic range value on the display is worth more than a figure that’s simply high. This proved especially true on the plateau, where the weather can change in the blink of an eye,” the Porsche crew experienced.

The cars traveled through all four seasons of the year in ten days. Real-time monitoring of the factors affecting internal and external power consumption provided a practical basis for the team to plan ahead and move on to the next charging point.

The Xinjiang-Tibet route presents geographical challenges and a less-than-ideal charging environment. The various DC and AC charging points vary from 120 kW to 22 kW.

In the Kunlun and Tianshan mountains is a 760-km stretch of no man’s land, which the cars crossed in four days, powered by the smart energy management system EnjoyElec, a start-up in which Porsche Ventures has strategically invested.

The cars tackled four consecutive peaks at more than 4 900 meters when encountering sudden rain and unexpected snow. “But even in such tough conditions, the intelligent thermal management system ensured the optimum operating temperature of the vehicle’s components and enabled the Taycan to remain at a high level of charging efficiency,” says the press release.

“In hot sand, wind, and rain, and when road conditions were at their worst, the Taycan Cross Turismo proved to be a trustworthy travel companion that could cope with the fatigue of long distances,” Porsche proudly concludes.

Image polishing

Such long and experimental trips are, of course, planned and organized with great care and sufficient means. Still, their importance is that they can heal many people from their range anxiety with electric cars, given that the infrastructure follows suit.

The 800 V energy system and the two-gear transmission proved to be significant assets during this trip, as well as the intelligent thermal management system that ensured the optimum operating temperature of the vehicle’s components and enabled the Taycans to remain at a high level of charging efficiency.