Porsche offers free update for all Australian Taycans to give them MY23 tech

Porsche has announced all variants of its Taycan electric vehicle are now able to benefit from a major update to give them the same capabilities as a new MY23 version.

Regardless of vehicle age, motor, or body style, the software of all model variants can now be updated to the status of an MY23 vehicle, with Porsche confirming to Wheels Australian cars are able to access it as of now.

Depending on how old their vehicle is, Taycan owners will be able to get their hands on a more efficient powertrain – as well as new functions and improvements in the Porsche Communication Management (PCM), Porsche Connect and assistance systems. The update will also enhance the over-the-air (OTA) update capability of all Taycan models.

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The update is being rolled out to Porsche customers free of charge worldwide, and can be easily done at a Porsche Centre workshop.

“This campaign will allow all customers to benefit from the continuous further development of the Taycan. We have extensively optimised the model series in almost every respect since 2019,” said Kevin Giek, Vice President of Model Line Taycan for Porsche AG.

“New functions have been added and others have been revised or tweaked to further enhance the customer experience. Following this update, anyone driving a Taycan from early in the car’s production run will be pleasantly surprised by how much has developed on the vehicle side since then.”

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In the ‘Normal’ and ‘Range’ driving modes in all-wheel drive MY20 and MY21 Taycans, the update will allow all vehicles to now revert to RWD when AWD isn't needed, and to have the ability to disconnect the motors from the wheels at brief intervals to allow the car to coast along without using energy.

Also available is improved thermal management, with the battery now benefitting from better conditioning – especially at low outside temperatures – which enables the Taycan to be fast charged more frequently and over a wider range of charge levels.

The waste heat from the electrical components, for example, is used even more than before to temper the battery. For 2020 and 2021 model-year Taycan models, this enables greater range and shorter charging times.

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As for the updates to the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) and Porsche Connect there are: new functions, a colourful tile design on the start screen and it’s now said to be easier to use.

In MY20 and MY21 Taycan models and up to mid-February 2022, the update optimises the voice control and integrates the Spotify app, and Android Auto is also available wirelessly.

Charging stations can be filtered and selected in the navigation system based on charging capacity, and MY21 models specifically with a head-up display will gain a better view of the navigation map, as well as other elements, and the display’s contents have been expanded.

For all Taycan models older than MY23, the on-board operating instructions can now also be used via voice control, and features such as the Park Assist sensors now work with a greater range. The search for available parking spaces has been improved too, so that now even smaller spaces are offered to the driver as an option.

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How much tech needs to be added and how long the update will take for any given car will depend on its age – with older Taycans obviously taking that bit longer as more features need to be included.

Alongside the software update, since the previous model, a 22 kW onboard charger has been added to the Taycan, and has recently become available for retrofitting. Though this can be optioned at the same time as the free upgrade, it’s not free. With up to 22kW of charging capacity, the more powerful variant charges the battery significantly faster.

Worldwide, more than 75,000 examples of the Taycan have been delivered since Porsche introduced its first all-electric sports car at the end of 2019 – 838 of which have come to Australia since the model launched here in 2021.