Porsche Taycan Breaks Production EV Nürburgring Record
Porsche has reclaimed the production EV Nürburgring lap record from Tesla, running a time of seven minutes and 33 seconds with a Taycan Turbo S.
Driven by Porsche development driver Lars Kern, the Taycan was equipped with a special performance kit that included updated handling software and street-legal racing-compound tires.
Beating the Tesla Model S Plaid's lap time is a win for Porsche, but performance EVs like the Lucid Air and Rimac Nevera have yet to run an official lap at the Nürburgring.
A new production electric-vehicle record now stands at the Nürburgring, besting Tesla's Model S Plaid lap time of seven minutes and 35 seconds set in September of 2021. Piloted by Porsche development driver Lars Kern, Porsche's Taycan Turbo S was able to beat Tesla's time by two seconds, with the official lap record now set at seven minutes and 33 seconds around the 12.94-mile loop. In a video released by Porsche, you can watch the lightning-quick lap complete with telemetry data and a 166-mph run on the döttinger höhe straightaway.
Porsche's Taycan Turbo S is a performance beast on its own, with power figures set at 750 hp and 774 lb-ft of torque in Overboost mode, but the record-holding vehicle wasn't your average Taycan Turbo S. This particular unit was equipped with a new performance kit that included 21-inch RS-Spyder-design wheels and a set of Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires. The company admits the tire compound is very similar to a racing compound, though the tire remains street legal. A software update to the 4D Chassis Control system, which monitors and adjusts suspension and braking components in real-time, rounds out the performance kit.
The 'Ring winning kit will only be available for cars in Germany for the 2023 model year. The performance kit will be offered at the end of the year and will be retrofitted to current production cars at the Porsche workshops in Zuffenhausen.
With its headquarters a few hours away in Stuttgart, it seems only fitting that Porsche reclaims the previously held Nürburgring record, for now at least. The production performance EV class is rapidly growing and features a variety of body styles. This means Porsche will likely be challenged by faster EVs in the future.
Lucid's Air has been setting lap records around the globe, from Laguna Seca to Goodwood Festival of Speed, and is significantly more powerful than the Taycan. The Rimac Nevera has yet to run an official Nürburgring lap and is certain to deliver a supercar level time, given its 1914-hp drivetrain and aerodynamic design. Though Porsche won't hold onto the track record forever, the performance levels and track times of 5,000-pound vehicles like the Taycan or Tesla Model S are a stunning feat of 21st-century engineering. Even in a time of industry evolution, Porsche has provided the case in point for the future of EV enthusiast fun.
