Porsche Taycan covers 3,425 km / 2,128 mi on the Nardò Ring in 24 hours

Porsche continues testing its upcoming all-electric SUV, the Taycan. The car has just completed a 3,425-kilometer (2,128-mile) testing run at the Nardò Ring in the town of Nardò, Italy.

The prototype car’s drivers tried to maintain the speed in the 195 – 215 km/h (121 – 134 mph) range at all times. The design department of the German marque wanted to see whether the car was fit for long travels under burning sun. The air temperature during the test rose as high as +42°C (+107.6°F), and the asphalt reached +54°С (+129.2°F).

The pre-production copy of the Taycan was driven continuously, only stopping to let a new driver get behind the wheel (six drivers took part in the process) and to charge the battery up a bit.

The Porsche Taycan will celebrate its international premiere in early September. The company says that it has already collected more than 30,000 pre-orders, and that the EV might surpass the 911 Series in terms of sales numbers if the trend keeps up.

Customers may choose from three versions of the sports car. The range-topping Taycan Turbo packs a powertrain rated at 629 hp (469 kW) and 880 Nm (649 lb-ft) of torque, accelerating 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 3.2 seconds. An even more extreme version will later emerge in the form of the Taycan Turbo S, armed with 734 hp (547 kW). A trimmed-down GTS variant will also become available later.