The new Porsche Taycan has been making some major waves. From outselling the ever-popular 911 to taking on major competitors such as the Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla, the Taycan seems to be able to do no wrong. Just when consumers are starting to think that it can’t get any better, Alex on Autos reports that the Taycan is the fastest charging electric car on the market today.

How does it charge?

According to Alex, the maximum DC fast charging is 270 kW. He went on to explain that this number, while very impressive, actually refers to the peak charging rate. This means that the Taycan will not charge at 270 kW for the entire charging session. It’s more like an estimate of how fast the battery could charge under the right circumstances. There are a lot of factors to be considered, and Alex did a great job of describing them.

The first factor to be considered is the battery temperature. The optimal temperature is 28 to 32 degrees Celsius or 82.4 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit. In other words, if you live in a cold climate, your Taycan will take longer to charge than if you live in a warmer climate. On the flip side of that, if you live in a climate where the temperatures can easily rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the battery will have to be cooled down before charging.

Another factor to be considered is how many cars are at the charging station. In the video, Alex explains that multiple cars at a charging station can significantly drop the kW being supplied to both cars. This will impact the rate at which the Taycan is able to charge, but that doesn’t mean that Porsche is at fault. It’s simply the nature of Ionic charging stations, and this may be improved upon in the future as electric cars continue to grow in popularity. This video was also filmed in Germany, so it may not apply in the United States.

The Porsche battery pack also charges faster than the Tesla, which has a peak of 250 kW. Teslas are also only able to charge at peak rates for a short amount of time. The Taycan maintained high charging levels for almost the entire session.

Another factor that impacts the charging time is the fact that the Taycan is still functioning and consuming some of the power. The battery pack has to be cooled, so this pulls some of the charge. This may seem like it slows down the charging ability, but it’s actually the opposite. Porsche designed its battery pack to cool to the optimal temperature which allows it to charge faster and more efficiently.

How fast does it charge?

Now that you know a little more about how the Taycan charges, you’re probably curious to know about how fast it can charge. Alex states that he drove the Taycan until the battery was running on one percent. While this may seem like he was tempting fate, he did make it to a charging station in time.

As stated previously, the charging speeds dropped significantly when another car on the other side of the island was plugged in. The rates dropped from 261 kW to 197 kW. Even taking a short break while he waited for the other car to charge, Alex reports that the Taycan still charged in less than an hour. This time would have been higher if he hadn’t taken the break.

If you’re frustrated at growing fuel prices and fear that you can’t afford a Taycan due to the $154,860 price tag, Porsche has your back. The German automaker is set to release a more affordable Taycan sometime next year, which will open the door for more consumers to make the switch to all electric vehicles.