Latest news with #Porsche
The Drive
31 minutes ago
- Automotive
- The Drive
Porsche Is Using AI To Catch EV Battery Problems Before They Happen
The latest car news, reviews, and features. I'm tired of AI getting shoved into every corner of life in 2025. But, the technology does have uses in cars beyond gimmicks like fake conversational personas. Like sifting through data and identifying trends to optimize an EV battery pack, for example. That's one of the things Porsche is using AI for, and the automaker recently pulled back the curtain on how it's implementing machine learning to make its electric cars better. In a press release from earlier this month, Porsche focuses on two particular aspects of the way it's using AI to monitor battery health. First, there's the component of predictive quality assurance, which boils down to making informed insights into how the battery will age, based on data from across the company's user base. But arguably more valuable than that is the system's ability to detect anomalies, which can stop a potentially serious battery defect before it starts. Porsche doesn't explicitly mention thermal runaway in this release, but that's where my head goes as I'm reading this. In a thermal runaway, a problem with one cell quickly propagates to others. But there may be signs beforehand that something's not right, and that's why it's especially valuable that Porsche says it can monitor battery health on a cellular level and proactively warn customers, with instructions relayed through the owners' app. Porsche recently set a record at Road Atlanta for the fastest lap for a series-production electric car with the Taycan Turbo GT. Porsche Like anything related to safety in the automotive realm, you hope you never have to encounter a situation like this with your vehicle. But knowing these safeguards are in place certainly offers peace of mind. And this kind of deep learning can be leveraged in other areas, too. State of charge and charging speed, for example, should be intelligently managed for any device that incorporates a lithium-ion battery, from your smartphone to your car, to extend the pack's lifespan as long as possible. It's encouraging that Porsche seems to be using AI not to develop an in-car chatbot that will pretend to care about your problems—or something else nobody's ever asked for—but to ensure the long-term performance and safety of its products. They sum it up well in this excerpt: 'For Porsche, AI is a tool that helps the team to understand complex relationships and take all relevant aspects into account.' Using new tech to better nail the fundamentals is the kind of future we can get behind. Got tips? Send 'em our way at tips@
The Herald
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Herald
The Audi RS Q8 is a high-riding supercar
A memorable throwback came across my social media feed this week. Eight years ago this month, we organised an interesting gathering of four exotic, open-air performers for a shootout. All were quite dazzling, of course, but there seemed to be a closer rivalry within the showdown between two contenders: the Audi R8 and Lamborghini Huracán, the two spiffy in Spyder form. While the car with the raging bull on its nose offered the obvious visual flamboyance, it more or less matched the substance wielded by the four-ringed option as the two were largely identical underneath, down to the shared V10 power sources. The kicker was that the Audi cost about half as much. The average buyer in this realm is not likely to rationalise decisions in such a way. If you want a Lamborghini and can afford it, the cheaper option is irrelevant. But for savvy purchasers who might want to fly under the radar and have some leftover change, Audi holds appeal for its low-key performance wares within the Volkswagen Group, viewed against the picks from Porsche and Lamborghini that share ingredients. The Q8, particularly in S and RS iterations, is good proof of this. By now you know that the Volkswagen MLB platform underpins the model, in addition to products such as the Touareg, Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus. It is a proven architecture that has demonstrated versatility, served in a wide assortment of expressions, from plain vanilla (a cushy Touareg 3.0 TDI) to the fire-breathing V8 RS Q8 Performance we recently tested.
The Citizen
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
All-electric Porsche Taycan Turbo GT goes fastest once again
This Taycan has 580kW of power on tap which increases to 760kW during launch. The ridiculously fast Porsche Taycan Turbo GT has just gone and added the Yas Marina Circuit to the growing list of global racetracks where it is officially the fastest production battery electric vehicle. The record lap time of two minutes 7.247 seconds was set using the current 5.2km F1 GP World Championship circuit in Abu Dhabi. Strict regulations A new official lap record format from the Emirates Motorsport Organisation (EMSO) dictates that cars undergo strict scrutineering prior to track activity. This is done to ensure the cars are being run standard production car trim and specification. On track activity is then limited to a 60-minute practice session, followed by a 45-minute qualifying session. It's during this qualifying session that the lap record time must be set. ALSO READ: Porsche's most powerful jolt ever released called Taycan Turbo GT UAE-based GT racing driver and instructor Ramez Azzam was the man behind the wheel of the Porsche Taycan for the record attempt. 'We all know electric vehicles can be fast in a straight line. To be fast over a whole lap is where the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT really shines,' said Azzam. Eye-popping oomph Using the expertise Porsche has developed from its championship-winning 99X Electric race car that competes in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the Taycan Turbo GT is able to bring that technology to the street as the most powerful production Porsche ever. The car offers 580kW of power for normal use. But this number jumps up to a full 760kW with launch control activated. An optional Weissach package is available for the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. What this means for the man in the street is that there are no rear seats. There is also more carbon fibre and this in turn offers a better power-to-weight ratio. The Weissach package saves 75kg while a fixed rear wing provides extra downforce. Porsche Taycan Turbo GT race-ready The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT comes standard with lightweight ceramic brakes based on the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake. The car is also equipped with the Dynamics Package that includes the Porsche Active Ride suspension with GT-specific tuning. The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT is said to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in just 2.2 seconds. And reach a top speed of 305km/h. If only The Citizen Motoring could get our hands on one, this Porsche just might be able to topple Mercedes-AMG's GT 63 S E Performance Coupe from the top of our sprint table too.
Top Gear
8 hours ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo Driving, Engines & Performance
Driving What is it like to drive? The chassis and suspension are identical to the standard Taycan and the estate is only 15kg heavier. And since we're talking about 2,310kg of mass, that weight difference is beyond negligible. So aside from the rear glass being further away in the rear view mirror, there's not much change for a driver to detect. Treat with extreme scepticism anyone who says the handling is more tail-happy because that 15kg extra mass is mostly over the rear axle. Advertisement - Page continues below Noted. Is this very much a sports estate then? It is. The Cross Turismo is a fairly racy crossover, and this is a fairly racy estate. However, the Cross Turismo is more languid, has detectable pitch and dive which we think actually suits the role of an estate car better. The Sport Turismo is slightly harder, sharper and more immediate. It has lovely steering and is immaculately behaved through corners, doing a very impressive job of disguising its mass and maintaining impressive body control over rough surfaces. Certainly crisper to drive than an Audi RS6. Does this only apply to the GTS? It applies to the GTS most of all, since this is – and probably always will be – the sportiest machine in the range. Not that other Sport Turismos drift that far from the template laid down by the GTS though. One thing about the GTS: it's the most rear-biased Taycan. Because of how the motors work, the GTS shuffles a greater proportion of torque to the rear axle than even the Turbo S. In fact as far as it can, it'll only send power to the rear axle, activating the front motor as it gets close to the fringes of grip. Advertisement - Page continues below Can you feel it? Not on the public road. But the Sport Turismo is a very well-balanced car. You'll get some understeer if you really hurl it along, but on the whole it grips tenaciously and behaves neutrally at the limit. You can up the ante with the Sport Turismo as well: £6,939 buys you the Dynamic Package that, alongside adjustable suspension, brings Porsche's phenomenal Active Ride technology which works to keep the body level no matter the forces working on it. It really impressed us in the Panamera, but the even lower centre of gravity here means it's not something we would consider a must fit. Same applies to the £7,230 PCCB ceramic brakes (which have gone almost £1,000 in the last four years). At least rear wheel steering is now standard, and helps give Taycans fitted with it crisper, more immediate turn-in. How's the powertrain? More polished than just about any other electric car out there, but where electric motors are concerned those margins are small. The background fake engine noise is actually pretty decent and the calibration of the throttle is brilliant – gives you faith in the car no matter what mode you're in or where you're driving. The GTS, as with all Taycans, is an effective deliverer of speed (0-62mph in 3.3secs, 100mph in 6.9secs – a whole second faster than the pre-facelift car). But that's with Launch Control's overboost function or keeping the push-to-pass button pressed. The rest of the time instead of 691bhp you have to make do with 597bhp. Don't stress. It's more than enough to put the hound in the boot on red alert. Highlights from the range the fastest 700kW Turbo S 105kWh 5dr Auto 0-62 2.4s CO2 0 BHP 938.7 MPG Price £163,200 the cheapest 320kW 105kWh 5dr RWD Auto [Revised] 0-62 4.8s CO2 0 BHP 429.1 MPG Price £89,200 the greenest 440kW 4S 105kWh 5dr Auto [5 Seat] [Revised] 0-62 3.7s CO2 0 BHP 590 MPG Price £97,570
Top Gear
8 hours ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo Price & Specs
Advertisement Title 0-62 kWh BHP Range (Comb.) Price 440kW 4S 105kWh 5dr Auto [5 Seat] [Revised] 3.7s 105 kWh 590 £97,570 440kW 4S 105kWh 5dr Auto [Revised] 3.7s 105 kWh 590 £97,200 320kW 105kWh 5dr RWD Auto [5 Seat] [Revised] 4.8s 105 kWh 429.1 £89,570 320kW 105kWh 5dr RWD Auto [Revised] 4.8s 105 kWh 429.1 £89,200 515kW GTS 105kWh 5dr Auto 3.3s 105 kWh 690.6 £119,200 515kW GTS 105kWh 5dr Auto [5 Seat] 3.3s 105 kWh 690.6 £119,570 700kW Turbo S 105kWh 5dr Auto 2.4s 105 kWh 938.7 £163,200 649kW Turbo 105kWh 5dr Auto 2.7s 105 kWh 870.3 £136,200 700kW Turbo S 105kWh 5dr Auto [5 Seat] 2.4s 105 kWh 938.7 £163,570 649kW Turbo 105kWh 5dr Auto [5 Seat] 2.7s 105 kWh 870.3 £136,570 You might like
