As part of its ongoing 75th anniversary celebrations, Porsche has participated in a unique challenge in Southeast Asia, making history in the process with the fastest single journey in an electric vehicle from Thailand to Singapore. Three journalists undertook the arduous non-stop drive from Bang Yai on the outskirts of Bangkok to Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, taking turns behind the wheel of a Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo and using the fast-charging Shell Recharge High Performance Charging (HPC) network, recently implemented across the region by Shell in collaboration with Porsche.
Dubbed the ‘Taycan Record Run’, this unprecedented feat was tackled by journalists Pholpat Salayakanond from Thailand, Pan Eu-Jin from Malaysia and Desmond Chan from Singapore. The trio drove in shifts over the gruelling 1,845km route, stopping only for 25-minute charging intervals made possible by Shell’s fast charger network and the Taycan’s unique 800V charging architecture.
Benefitting from an elevated ride height and a range of up to 512 kilometres, the Taycan 4S Cross Turismo offered the perfect means of tackling this potentially treacherous journey. Along the way, the car had to be kept within all national speed limit so as not to invalidate the record, something that would also serve to maximise potential range.
Heading south through the Thai peninsula, the car’s special 75th anniversary livery attracted plenty of attention, inviting enthusiastic conversation at every charging stop as the car made its way through checkpoints from Chumphon to Nakhon Si Thammarat and further south into Hat Yai. Ensuring that every stage of the journey went smoothly, the team made use of the same benefits afforded to all Porsche owners on the Shell HPC network, reserving their next chargers up to 60 minutes ahead of arrival.
By nightfall, the travellers had crossed over the Sadao border and were making a beeline to their mid-point, the first checkpoint in Malaysia at Porsche Centre Penang. A long day’s driving now behind them, there was time for a quick refresh before the crew returned to the road for the night ahead. Here, the Taycan’s safety assistance systems were a welcome luxury: Bright Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus (PDLS+) LED headlights illuminating the road ahead, while lane-keeping assistance kept the car perfectly positioned as the team pushed on into the night.
After another charging interval at the Shell Recharge Tapah, the Taycan made its vast, silent journey across the bulk of the Malaysian peninsula. The battery pack was topped up for the final time at the Shell Recharge Tangkak at the tip of the state of Johor. The three drivers pressed on past the Malaysia-Singapore border in the early hours, despite a challenge at the Tuas checkpoint, thanks to a back-up Taycan Cross Turismo that was waiting in the wings. By this point, the trio were on the home straight, down the Ayer-Rajah Expressway towards the welcome sight of the famous Singapore skyline.
At 10:15 local time, the car and its triumphant crew pulled up to the finishing line – the SG50 Lattice structure within the picturesque grounds of Gardens by the Bay. The drivers were welcomed by fellow Taycan owners from Porsche Club Singapore, Porsche staff and event partners, as well as officials from the Singapore and Malaysia Book of Records.
After a celebratory announcement, TAG Heuer timekeepers authenticated the timing sheets for the entire journey, and the numbers were keyed in: 29 hours and 15 minutes, the fastest single journey in an EV from Thailand to Singapore. The Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo and its three drivers were now record makers.
“Our first all-electric sports car, the Porsche Taycan, is already the benchmark for sporty performance, dynamic handling and efficient charging,” said Andre Brand, General Manager of Porsche Singapore. “Now, we elevate the use-case for electric cars even further, by showing that long-distance, cross-border EV travel can be both fast and seamless with this first-ever Thailand-to-Singapore EV record.”
