150kW on-board DC-DC converter - do I need to order this in UK?

[Porsche-Guru]

Bash in the UK. Just finalising my 4S order via Salary Sacrifice scheme.

Query:
Haven't been able to fathom out whether to order the 150kW on-board DC-DC converter or give the £294 option a miss...

- Do I need to order this in the UK? Is it actually useful in the context of UK charging infrastructure?
- Are there many chargers in the UK that only supply 400V (where I presume this would be useful or maybe not!)
- Will this £294 worth of add-on be useful when Tesla superchargers become available in the UK, or will the 4S still not charge at full capacity on Tesla super chargers?

Thanks.

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[f1eng]

AFAIK the max charge rate from a 400V charger is 50kW without this option.
That means if Tesla chargers do become available you will be able to charge 3 times faster on one.

We don't know if they will or not but at £294 I went for it.

Some people pay more to have the electric charge cover which is totally unnecessary at all times, blocks the air curtain and is a potential reliability problem!

For me the 150kW option is worth choosing just in case.

 

[mutanthands]

It’s a no-brainer, just add it.
All the fast chargers in the UK are DC. Even more so if Tesla open up their network.
You would be at a huge disadvantage without it.

 

[Porsche-Guru]

AFAIK the max charge rate ....
.....
For me the 150kW option is worth choosing just in case.

It’s a no-brainer, just add it.
.....
You would be at a huge disadvantage without it.

Thank you for the quick feedback.
Added to the order.

 

[Porsche-Guru]

@f1eng @mutanthands

Quick related question:
I presume I should not need the 22kW charger - as that is mainly used for 3phase connections.
My home and office do not have 3-phase supply.

Should I give this add-on a miss?

 

[mutanthands]

The 22kW option is plagued with issues, if I recall correctly.

It's only useful if you have 3phase at work / home, or travel a lot in Scotland, where 22kW chargers are a bit more prevalent.

I would give the 22kW option a miss.

 

[W1NGE]

Bash in the UK. Just finalising my 4S order via Salary Sacrifice scheme.

Query:
Haven't been able to fathom out whether to order the 150kW on-board DC-DC converter or give the £294 option a miss...

- Do I need to order this in the UK? Is it actually useful in the context of UK charging infrastructure?
- Are there many chargers in the UK that only supply 400V (where I presume this would be useful or maybe not!)
- Will this £294 worth of add-on be useful when Tesla superchargers become available in the UK, or will the 4S still not charge at full capacity on Tesla super chargers?

Thanks.

50 kW DC chargers are 400V but the Taycan has the onboard DC charger 800v voltage converter so no need to worry about this one.

There are other 400V installations out there and not too far away in Ireland which offer up to 150kW DC.

There is speculation that Tesla will ultimately make their 400V Supercharger network available to non-Tesla users but aside from some sketchy trials this has not yet surfaced in UK. To take advantage of this (120kW+) then the 150kW DC option would be required to step up the voltage to the Taycan's native 800v. Without it you would be limited to around 50kW (perhaps a little more depending).

I have in on my car and in 16 months have never had the opportunity to use it but would still recommend that for the relatively low cost it is better to have than not.

If you're ok with the cost and the high probability that you'd never knowingly use it then tick the box. It's one of those FOMO moments at then end of the day.

 

[f1eng]

@f1eng @mutanthands

Quick related question:
I presume I should not need the 22kW charger - as that is mainly used for 3phase connections.
My home and office do not have 3-phase supply.

Should I give this add-on a miss?

I don’t have 3 phase either and didn’t choose i.
I have no idea about availability elsewhere but since I will mainly charge at home no point for me.
Worth looking into whether a 22kW charger is something you may use though.

 

[W1NGE]

@f1eng @mutanthands

Quick related question:
I presume I should not need the 22kW charger - as that is mainly used for 3phase connections.
My home and office do not have 3-phase supply.

Should I give this add-on a miss?

Huge cost option and you certainly don't need it given your use case(s). Car has 11kW AC onboard charger as standard (also requires 3 phase) but will happily charge overnight at 7.4kW on your standard single phase. Note that your car will be supplied with the standard Porsche Mobile Charger Plus (PMC+) which maxes out at 7.4kW on a fused 32A supply. You don't need to source another EVSE (charger by any other name!) unless you have a specific reason to do so.

DC charging is your first port of call unless you get stuck so ensure you plan your journeys and have the various apps for locating (ZapMap). The Porsche Planning Charger has recently had it's database updated and hundreds if not thousands of charging locations now appear in the NAV / Maps making the hunt that much easier.

 

[W1NGE]

Update on Tesla trials - https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...-a-tesla-supercharger-open-to-all-ev’s.10813/ - so is happening for real but not in UK.

Note that if it relates to 800v Tesla EVSEs only then you still would not need the 150kW DC option as the Taycan can suck up to 270kW (350kW) natively on 800v,

 

[Porsche-Guru]

It is a (relatively) low cost option.... so I am going to tick this one and get it...

 

[smartymarti]

150kw is a no brainer imo , many times I’ve been low and needed to be charged and gone on the motorway, without would easily double the time taken to charge

 

[tigerbalm]

There are other 400V installations out there and not too far away in Ireland which offer up to 150kW DC.

Worth mentioning that there is indeed lots of 400V 150kW chargers installed by our state electricity network – but I have recently noticed they are putting in more 900V 300kW chargers too – which is good to see.

The option being discussed is still worth adding imo – especially at the price. Really it should just be default.

 

[Porsche-Guru]

It is quite annoying that Porsche did not add this as a default option….

Well can’t really say much; the folding mirrors are still considered an add-on option by Porsche in 2022 !

Regardless, it has been added to the spec.

 

[Doc Sportello]

It is quite annoying that Porsche did not add this as a default option….

Well can’t really say much; the folding mirrors are still considered an add-on option by Porsche in 2022 !

Regardless, it has been added to the spec.

And I went for folding mirrors over the 150kw charger. Damn...

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