According to a Porsche forecast, approximately 80 per cent of a Taycan’s charging processes will take place at the owner’s home overnight. Porsche offers a multi-step check of owners’ individual charging situations and extensive charging equipment for this purpose.
In the Porsche Charging Pre-Check, interested parties can find out at an early stage whether charging at their home is generally possible. In a short online survey, information on the living and parking situation, existing power connections and Internet availability is collected. On the basis of the information provided, the potential customer will receive an initial estimate. If an individual consultation is requested, prospective customers can forward their Pre-Check-ID to a Porsche Centre.
The Porsche Centres also offer the Home Check before the vehicle is purchased. An electrician will check the conditions on site and can also install the charging station at a later date. The Porsche Centre will receive a report from the home visit in order to be able to provide the customer with the best possible advice on the choice of charging equipment.
These charging stations facilitate charging at home:
- The Porsche Mobile Charger Connect combines intelligent charging functions with network and Internet connectivity. It can be used to charge the vehicle with up to 22 kW. With the “price-optimised charging” function, daytime and night-time periods when electricity is cheaper are also used specifically for charging (country-dependent). Operation is intuitive via the five-inch touch display. Data such as the battery’s current charging status and the remaining charging time can either be displayed on the screen or on a smartphone or tablet linked to it. Thanks to its WiFi functionality, the Mobile Charger Connect can also be networked with the Home Energy Manager so that intelligent charging functions can be used at home.
- With the Porsche Mobile Charger Plus, the Taycan can be charged at home or on the road with a maximum of 11 kW. With its compact dimensions and weight of less than three kilograms, it is easy to transport. A wall bracket is supplied and can be mounted in the garage. The Porsche Mobile Charger Plus is then simply and securely attached using a clip-in system. With the Porsche Charging Dock Pedestal bracket and the attractively designed Porsche Compact Pedestal, both chargers are protected against external influences such as rain or vandalism. The devices can be removed from the docks.
The Home Energy Manager ensures problem-free charging at home and optimises the charging process in terms of performance, time, costs and power sources. When properly installed in the domestic mains by a specialist, it continuously monitors the energy requirement and the available power output of the power supply.
In addition, the Home Energy Manager is able to carry out vehicle charging processes when other domestic electrical appliances are typically not in use. The Home Energy Manager can also manage the charging processes of multiple vehicles at the same time. This takes into account factors such as timelines, prioritisation and planned departure times. The Home Energy Manager also helps to reduce charging costs. If a customer has an electricity tariff with lower costs at certain times, the Home Energy Manager can schedule the charging process to this time slot.
Additional, new intelligent charging functions are available in conjunction with Mobile Charger Connect and Home Energy Manager. These include the power monitor function, which performs phase-specific regulation of the maximum charging capacity, taking into account the performance capability of the domestic power supply (country-dependent), and also charging optimised for self-generated power. This function is used for targeted charging of the Taycan using domestically generated solar energy. Once the configurable minimum battery charge level has been reached, the system consumes only solar energy that is not used domestically.
Charging on the road: Porsche Charging Service with more than 135,000 charging points
Around 20 per cent of charging operations are performed at public charging stations. For this also, Porsche has developed its own solutions for its customers: on journeys, customers can access the Porsche charging network via the Porsche Charging Service, which enables them to locate charging points and begin charging. Billing also takes place via centrally stored payment data. There is no need to register with the various operators. This is done across countries, at a guaranteed unit price per market, irrespective of currency. The corresponding Charging App and the Porsche navigation system guide customers to the selected charging station. The platform currently has more than 135,000 charging points in 20 European countries as well as in the US and Canada.
The app provides real-time information on the location and availability of the charging stations as well as the price of a charging process. Identification takes place at the charging station
- via Charging App by scanning the QR code or directly in the app, or
- via a Porsche Taycan Charging Card, which users receive free of charge after registering for the service, or
- via the Plug & Charge function where users just connect the charging plug. In addition to availability in the charging infrastructure of the respective market, a prerequisite for this is a corresponding charging contract, for example with the Porsche Charging Service.
An innovative feature is, among other things, the option of a rating function. This tells the user when a vehicle was last charged at a charging station and how up-to-date and reliable the information on the respective charging point is. The daily utilisation of the charging station is also displayed so that charging processes can be better planned. Pictures of the charging stations can also be displayed in the Charging App and can be uploaded by Porsche drivers.
All charging operations with the Porsche Charging Service are carbon-neutral. Porsche drivers can filter the available charging stations using the ‘Green electricity’ charging station filter. In this case, only charging stations are displayed where correspondingly certified power is used for charging. The emissions produced at all other charging stations are automatically offset by the Porsche Charging Service in cooperation with &Charge GmbH, a Porsche company. In Europe, the USA and Canada, use of the Porsche Charging Service is included for the first three years. The charges for the charging operations themselves depend on the amount of electricity charged (kWh) and also on the charging duration. The prices are displayed in detail and also graded according to power output class/charging speed. The app can be used on all mobile devices with iOS or Android operating systems. The service can be used by all Taycan customers, although use for Porsche hybrid vehicles is not currently possible.
Ionity high-power charging network: 400 stations on major European transport routes
With the creation of the Ionity joint venture, the BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company, and Volkswagen Group have joined Porsche AG in paving the way for the most extensive high-power charging network for electric cars in Europe.
Ionity will build and operate a total of 400 high-power charging parks, of which 317 have already been completed. These will be located on motorways and main transport routes in large parts of Europe. They will be publicly accessible and located at an average of 120 km apart. Ionity is collaborating with strong business partners such as Tank & Rast, Shell and Circle K, and benefits in particular from the attractive locations of these partners. Each Ionity high-power charging park will have multiple charging stations. The network uses the European charging standard Combined Charging System (CCS). The charging capacity of 350 kW per charging station enables suitably designed vehicles such as the Taycan to charge much faster than with currently available systems.
Charging while preserving the battery is a new function. This can restrict the charging capacity at suitable charging points (e.g. Ionity high-power charging stations) to around 200 kW, when customers are planning to take a longer break from driving. This extends the battery’s service life and reduces the overall power loss. Drivers can select the charging while preserving the battery function on the central display. Of course, if customers choose not to use this option, a charging capacity of up to 270 kW remains available at 800-volt high-power charging stations.
Plug & Charge simplifies charging: Taycan drivers merely have to plug in the charging cable and charging is underway. Authentication data is saved in the vehicle. As a result, the charging station automatically identifies the connected vehicle. A prerequisite for this is a corresponding charging contract, for example with the Porsche Charging Service. The ISO 15118 standard ensures that the communication between infrastructure and the vehicle is tamper-proof. Payments are also processed automatically. Plug & Charge is already operational at Ionity charging stations in Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Italy and the Czech Republic. Twelve more European countries will follow at the start of 2021 while, in the US and Canada, Plug & Charge will also be available from Electrify America and Electrify Canada at many charging points as of the start of 2021.
