[North America] - this is getting embarrassing - Porsche nerfing/neutering the PMCC via OTA update?

[snstevens]

wanna guess when I was charging my EV? and what AMP setting the PMCC was set to?

here is the data -and PG&E will provide a CVS file with the raw numbers so you can really dig into the data - there are enough digital bread crumbs that if it got testy regarding liablity one could analyse the direcxt and indirect data and come to some pretty sound and convincing deductive conclusions - that with the physical evidence (even cheap NEMA 14-50 plug sockets don't melt that easily) - once can make the case what caused the event…

What sort of solar setup/battery system are you using to generate the power in the late afternoon?

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[daveo4EV]

What sort of solar setup/battery system are you using to generate the power in the late afternoon?

PM sent since it's off topic…

 

[TYKHAAAN]

I contacted my dealer and they told me to talk to Porsche, after getting quite nasty and snippy with me (I’m to the point where I wont buy or recommend their dealership to anyone, but anyway). I am preparing to ship the unit back to them. They say they will take it and issue a refund….i have a bad feeling tho that they will not take it back once they get it and send it back saying they changed their minds, but we will see. I will at least hope for the best outcome. I’ve already got my Mustart charger today and it’s going full away at 40 amps, something I haven’t been able to do on that charger in quite a while w/o overheating in summer.

I also meant to ask, has anyone tried to reset the unit to default and see if it goes back to an earlier software version? I doubt it would work, but might be worth a try.

 

[snstevens]

I sent the letter I posted to my service manager - he responded and said he's get back to me when any word from PCNA

I encourage anyone to contact Porsche however they see fit regarding this issue (respectful and polite please) - more people will be better than a nominee - more people = more data = more response in my opinion.

requesting/returning your PMCC is a probably a pretty definative piece of feedback to Porsche that you're not happy - I'm not suggesting you'll be successful - but I'm suggesting this is meaningful feedback to Porsche regarding this issue.

Also it may prove that I'm over-reacting (as has been suggested) if there is not enough for a meaningful outcry - I do not have data to assess if this will bother a significant portion of the Taycan community.

Here is the email I just sent to Kjell Gruner. I also forwarded my earlier email to Customer Support and my Service Advisor.

---------------------------
Mr. Gruner:

I’ve decided to forward this email to your attention.

I write to make you aware that the Porsche PMCC for my Taycan is not capable of safely delivering the charging power promised in its specification. To my knowledge there is no work going on to correct the issue and restore the PMCC to the full 40A/240V (9.6KW) charging power that it was designed to provide, essentially doubling in-home charging time (see my comments in the email below for details).

This might be less of an issue if the unit itself weren’t so expensive ($1,120 USD). Contrast this with the many capable units for sale at or around $700, and you’ll understand why I’m unhappy.

I have yet to receive any acknowledgment of my email below from any of the addressees, but of course they’ve only had my email for 3 days.

I love my Taycan. Porsche’s first entry into the EV space is a winner, and I congratulate you on that accomplishment. Now, all of us in the US need a PMCC that complements that success.

I would like to request a resolution of the PMCC non-performance issue within the next 30 days - either the detail of a plan to correct the PMCC back to 9.6KW charging capability within the next few months, or the option to return the device for full refund at which time I’ll purchase a different Level 2 EVSE charger.

Does this seem like a reasonable request to you? If not, please suggest how we move forward.

Best regards,
Sam

 

[daveo4EV]

Here is the email I just sent to Kjell Gruner. I also forwarded my earlier email to Customer Support and my Service Advisor.

---------------------------
Mr. Gruner:

I’ve decided to forward this email to your attention.

I write to make you aware that the Porsche PMCC for my Taycan is not capable of safely delivering the charging power promised in its specification. To my knowledge there is no work going on to correct the issue and restore the PMCC to the full 40A/240V (9.6KW) charging power that it was designed to provide, essentially doubling in-home charging time (see my comments in the email below for details).

This might be less of an issue if the unit itself weren’t so expensive ($1,120 USD). Contrast this with the many capable units for sale at or around $700, and you’ll understand why I’m unhappy.

I have yet to receive any acknowledgment of my email below from any of the addressees, but of course they’ve only had my email for 3 days.

I love my Taycan. Porsche’s first entry into the EV space is a winner, and I congratulate you on that accomplishment. Now, all of us in the US need a PMCC that complements that success.

I would like to request a resolution of the PMCC non-performance issue within the next 30 days - either the detail of a plan to correct the PMCC back to 9.6KW charging capability within the next few months, or the option to return the device for full refund at which time I’ll purchase a different Level 2 EVSE charger.

Does this seem like a reasonable request to you? If not, please suggest how we move forward.

Best regards,
Sam

any response to this will be deeply interesting

kudo's on an excellent letter.

 

[daveo4EV]

I contacted my dealer and they told me to talk to Porsche, after getting quite nasty and snippy with me (I’m to the point where I wont buy or recommend their dealership to anyone, but anyway). I am preparing to ship the unit back to them. They say they will take it and issue a refund….i have a bad feeling tho that they will not take it back once they get it and send it back saying they changed their minds, but we will see. I will at least hope for the best outcome. I’ve already got my Mustart charger today and it’s going full away at 40 amps, something I haven’t been able to do on that charger in quite a while w/o overheating in summer.

I also meant to ask, has anyone tried to reset the unit to default and see if it goes back to an earlier software version? I doubt it would work, but might be worth a try.

factory reset clears all settings, but does not revert the installed software version - so unless you can downgrade a software install - an updated unit is now stuck on version 3014 or later until Porsche decides to do something different.

 

[snstevens]

any response to this will be deeply interesting

kudo's on an excellent letter.

I plan to post on this thread whenever either of my emails receives a response. To-date nada...

 

[ejcintr]

any response to this will be deeply interesting

kudo's on an excellent letter.

Heh Dave- just wanted to say thanks on raising this issue within the forum- I was able to turn off automatic updates... just used it last night to charge and did get the message about 'perform the sw upgrade) and said no. Just have an issue now where my general profile of minimum charge of 80% is not working - it charged up to 100% so I changed the general profile on the PCM to 75% to see if updating the profile will provide the expected behavior. I have never experienced the overheating issue as my garage does not get overly warm. I hope Porsche provides a 'fix' or a refund.. as not updating sw could expose me to other issues (security etc)... otherwise I like others on this forum will go with alternatives.

 

[Scandinavian]

I think the conversions are correct however - it's 68'ish kWh/year to run this thing with sleep mode disabled.

Sorry Dave, my brain was foggy last night after a long tiring day. My wrong.
I red the 1.310 kWh incorrectly. In Sweden there is a comma used instead of a point.

 

[RehobothTaycan1]

My PMCC got the software update yesterday and charging was set to 20 amps. I went into the screen to change back to 40 amp, but the screen was blank. I ended up rebooting the charger and that fixed the issue and I was able to set back to 40 amp charging. All is well in the world again?

 

[AndiL]

So there seems to be a bug or something missing for the device to detect if it woke up from sleep and keep the setting or if it was disconnected and thus potentially moved to a different location.

 

[madeyong]

My PMCC got the software update yesterday and charging was set to 20 amps. I went into the screen to change back to 40 amp, but the screen was blank. I ended up rebooting the charger and that fixed the issue and I was able to set back to 40 amp charging. All is well in the world again?

I turned off automatic SW updates to stay on the prior software for now when I read these posts but, based on reports, all is not well in the world for you because every time your PMCC goes to “sleep” when it’s not connected to the car, it will revert to 20 amp charging and you will need to manually change to 40 amps each time the PMCC wakes back up. That’s what everyone is complaining about. You can change back to 40 amps but it won’t stick if the PMCC goes into sleep mode or loses power.

 

[daveo4EV]

My PMCC got the software update yesterday and charging was set to 20 amps. I went into the screen to change back to 40 amp, but the screen was blank. I ended up rebooting the charger and that fixed the issue and I was able to set back to 40 amp charging. All is well in the world again?

untl the unit loses power or goes to sleep - then you will have to set it again.

 

[daveo4EV]

Sorry Dave, my brain was foggy last night after a long tiring day. My wrong.
I red the 1.310 kWh incorrectly. In Sweden there is a comma used instead of a point.

no harm no foul - I did a unit conversion mid-math and yeah the euro/comma/decimal thing tripped me up this summer when I was visiting - it's all good!

having someone check your math is an age old engineering technique - corrections appreciated when mistakes are made - data/facts are important to me personally.

 

[daveo4EV]

official Porsche eMail - porsche will double my charge time at no cost to me - me thinks they misunderstand the product they are selling

i consider this eMail grossly out of touch with no discussion of the implications of this charge or acknowledgment of the fact that they are changing the product specifications after the fact

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA) has developed an update to the Porsche Mobile charger for your E-hybrid or Taycan vehicle. We are contacting you because this update is now available to you free at your Porsche Dealer.

What is the issue?
High temperatures can occur in the plug socket when charging the vehicle using the Porsche Mobile Charger in conjunction with NEMA industrial plugs, due to the higher charging current. In certain situations, this can lead to heat damage to the electrical socket.

What will Porsche Do?
Your Porsche Dealer will limit the default current charging setting to 50% on your Porsche Mobile Charger and affix a warning sticker to your Porsche Mobile Charger using the NEMA standard. You will also be given a supplement to the Owner's Manual.

Thank you for your patience and allowing us to help maintain continued satisfaction with your vehicle.

What should you do?
Please contact your local Porsche dealer as soon as possible to schedule an appointment to have your vehicle’s mobile charger updated at NO CHARGE TO YOU

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