The 2022 Taycan and Taycan Cross Turismo receive updates to improve battery performance, update the tech, and wow us with color options.

Porsche introduced us to the Taycan years ago as the Mission E Concept, but actual production models only started in 2020, with the Cross Turismo joining in 2021. Yet for the 2022 model year, Porsche is already adding updates. Chief among them, from a technical point of view at least, is faster charging capability.

Through continuous development, Porsche improved thermal management of the all-electric powertrain. That’s critical. To quickly charge the battery while on the road, for example, you first need to warm it up. And to receive best results, you tell the Taycan to pre-heat the battery before you stop, Porsche calls this system Turbo Charging Planner.

For 2022, the Planner will heat the pack to a higher temperature, which allows the fastest charging levels to happen earlier and at a higher charge level than before. In other words, you can charge the pack in less time. I infer from this that Porsche’s peak charge rate of 270 kilowatts hasn’t changed, but how quickly it can get to 270 kW, and how long it can stay there, has.

From there, Porsche added some new parking capability and smartphone connectivity. Aptly named Remote Park Assist, you can park your 2022 Taycan with your smartphone from outside of the car. This optional feature works for both parallel and perpendicular parking.

Using the sensors and camera on the car, the process starts with the driver opening the Porsche Connect smartphone app and climbing out. From there, the driver watches the process while pressing and holding a button on the app. The system both steers and powers the car into the place. The driver can stop the process at any time by letting go of the button, doing so will stop the Taycan immediately. And you can do it from either an iPhone or Android smartphone as Porsche’s system now works with both brands. It was Apple only previously.

Speaking of infotainment, Porsche also improved its Voice Pilot Assist to better understand “everyday language” and added layout options for the left side of the central display.

But perhaps the least techy improvement to the Taycan and Taycan Cross Turismo is the most significant. Porsche calls it Paint to Sample, with it you can get the Taycan painted in 65 additional colors, above the 17 colors already offered. These colors include some classics from the 964 generation 911 models like Moonlight Blue Metallic, Acid Green, and Voila Metallic.

This is part of the brand’s Exclusive Manufaktur line. And it goes further from there, as they also offer Paint to Sample Plus. Choosing this gives you the freedom to simply pick any color you want. No word on how much the additional paints or the custom work will cost. It won’t be free.  

More fundamentally, updates and customization options on the Taycan tells you as strongly as anything that EVs are taking over fast. In fact, Porsche already sells about as many Taycans as they do 911s.

Our future is indeed electric, but, thankfully, no less colorful.