Preheat/Precool function, what is it doing?

[ZenicaNC]

So I've noticed when the temperature is cold out, the Taycan charges much slower. A recent road trip when it was in the low 40's out had the Taycan charging under 100kWh at EA 350 kWh stations. I tried the preheat feature but all that seemed to do was turn on the steering wheel heater, seat heaters and blast the interior with heat. I thought this feature would turn on some internal battery heating, not rely on conduction between the floor of the cabin to the top battery pack plate.

Out of curiosity, I started this process an hour before I'd arrive at the EA station. All it achieved was to ensure I was uncomfortable because the battery still charged at a much slower rate. Now I'm hoping I am doing it wrong, that there is a different option to enable which will precondition the battery and not the driver.

How exactly should I be trying to do this so the battery is preconditioned but not at the expense of occupant comfort?

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[W1NGE]

So I've noticed when the temperature is cold out, the Taycan charges much slower. A recent road trip when it was in the low 40's out had the Taycan charging under 100kWh at EA 350 kWh stations. I tried the preheat feature but all that seemed to do was turn on the steering wheel heater, seat heaters and blast the interior with heat. I thought this feature would turn on some internal battery heating, not rely on conduction between the floor of the cabin to the top battery pack plate.

Out of curiosity, I started this process an hour before I'd arrive at the EA station. All it achieved was to ensure I was uncomfortable because the battery still charged at a much slower rate. Now I'm hoping I am doing it wrong, that there is a different option to enable which will precondition the battery and not the driver.

How exactly should I be trying to do this so the battery is preconditioned but not at the expense of occupant comfort?

You must add the DC charging location as a stopover in NAV ensuring that the Porsche Charging Planner is also active.

Next the DC location must be sufficiently far enough (distance / time) to allow time for the battery to heat before charging - ideally 32C+

This is the only way to precondition the HV battery in readiness for the fastest DC charging.

Preheat / cool relates to the cabin temperature and not the battery.

Advise to spend a bit of time reading the Owner's manual to better understand how this works and to get the most from your car

 

[ZenicaNC]

Using the charging application in the main center screen there is a menu option for preheating. If that doesn't precondition the battery and it only impacts the cabin, then wouldn't a better place for this be under the climate control application?

Yes, I should read the manual front to back but I usually have more pressing issues when free time presents itself. Still, it is sound advice.

 

[SergeyIndy]

This is a very common misconception @ZenicaNC , due to poor UI interface, because this Precool/heat feature is on the Battery screen. So, you are right on point why it is not where it would be clear that it is interior climate only.

There are several factors that must be met for you to achieve fast charging:

- Enter EA station as destination or stop over from Nav -> Charging tab screen.
- Observe your HV battery temp going up about 30 min away to at least 95F
- You must have low enough SoC with <10% ideal when you arrive at the EA station
- I prefer Battery Friendly to be ON (slower peak), but you can turn it OFF and blast the car with 295kW if you wish with no advantage of getting you to 80% any faster, and charging beyond that regardless of settings will be very slow and only necessary if you absolutely need it or have time to wait for it.
- Assumes the EA station can provide the max power the car can accept


Just to show how common it is that even this Youtuber thought he would just press the button right at the charging station to preheat the battery to get max charge while saying "I am not entirely sure how this works" . Pretty obvious, he did not use charging station as destination to preheat the battery and surprised the charging experience was terrible.

At 9:42

 

[W1NGE]

Using the charging application in the main center screen there is a menu option for preheating. If that doesn't precondition the battery and it only impacts the cabin, then wouldn't a better place for this be under the climate control application?

Yes, I should read the manual front to back but I usually have more pressing issues when free time presents itself. Still, it is sound advice.

Nope. Same for Macan EV too.

In some countries it is called preclimate or precondition or preheat just to confuse further.

The fact that you use the HV battery to heat the cabin will lead to a small increase in the HV battery temp - blink and you won't notice it.

We're all busy...a little light reading leads to being better informed.

 

[chun]

That button is tied to the cabin pre-conditioning you set up within the timer. So the cabin reaches 23 degrees or whatever before you leave for work.

And when you get in the car before the timer is done, you press it, and it stops

 

[Briguy]

You must add the DC charging location as a stopover in NAV ensuring that the Porsche Charging Planner is also active.

Next the DC location must be sufficiently far enough (distance / time) to allow time for the battery to heat before charging - ideally 32C+

This is the only way to precondition the HV battery in readiness for the fastest DC charging.

Preheat / cool relates to the cabin temperature and not the battery.

Advise to spend a bit of time reading the Owner's manual to better understand how this works and to get the most from your car

Agree with the advice and the solution but I will add that I use fast charging stations during the Canadian winter and have set it up, as described, in my Porsche nav system (native app and not other navigation apps). Having done that, and arriving at a 150kwh charger with the battery temperature well below the optimal temp (around 10c), I was able to draw close to the full 150kwh within about 3 minutes of plugging in. this is on a 2025 taycan.

 

[ZenicaNC]

I needed to grab lunch so I took the opportunity to test this out. I first ran the preheat cycle for an hour, thinking it can't hurt. The car was in the garage and reading 61 Fahrenheit. I selected the EA station close to Bibibop where I was getting lunch. I made sure via the 3 dots that my Charging Planner was enabled. I set the navigation and sure enough, the preheat symbol showed on the center instrument cluster/display. By the time I got to EA, the battery was at 73 Fahrenheit. It peaked at 104kWh from a 350 kWh station. Since the station was (mostly) empty, I tried both, same speed across each station. The 150kWh station was occupied.

Only a handful of times have I seen charging speeds in excess of 170kWh, even at 350 kWh stations. I have seen 170 kWh from the 150 kWh stations.

I don't have a lot of EA experience as 90% of my charging is done at home. The few road trips I've taken with the Taycan are where I've seen higher speeds but it was summer and much warmer out. Even then, only once did I see a speed north of 200 kWh.

 

[chun]

I needed to grab lunch so I took the opportunity to test this out. I first ran the preheat cycle for an hour, thinking it can't hurt. The car was in the garage and reading 61 Fahrenheit. I selected the EA station close to Bibibop where I was getting lunch. I made sure via the 3 dots that my Charging Planner was enabled. I set the navigation and sure enough, the preheat symbol showed on the center instrument cluster/display. By the time I got to EA, the battery was at 73 Fahrenheit. It peaked at 104kWh from a 350 kWh station. Since the station was (mostly) empty, I tried both, same speed across each station. The 150kWh station was occupied.

Only a handful of times have I seen charging speeds in excess of 170kWh, even at 350 kWh stations. I have seen 170 kWh from the 150 kWh stations.

I don't have a lot of EA experience as 90% of my charging is done at home. The few road trips I've taken with the Taycan are where I've seen higher speeds but it was summer and much warmer out. Even then, only once did I see a speed north of 200 kWh.

Were you at 10% battery when you plugged in the charger?
Peak charging curve of 270kwh is at 10% and lasts until about 15-20% after which it slowly drops to 200Kwh at 60%. From 60% to 80% you will be between 100kwh to 180ish max, and after 80% it will go around 50 kwh.

 

[SergeyIndy]

I needed to grab lunch so I took the opportunity to test this out. I first ran the preheat cycle for an hour, thinking it can't hurt. The car was in the garage and reading 61 Fahrenheit. I selected the EA station close to Bibibop where I was getting lunch. I made sure via the 3 dots that my Charging Planner was enabled. I set the navigation and sure enough, the preheat symbol showed on the center instrument cluster/display. By the time I got to EA, the battery was at 73 Fahrenheit. It peaked at 104kWh from a 350 kWh station. Since the station was (mostly) empty, I tried both, same speed across each station. The 150kWh station was occupied.

Only a handful of times have I seen charging speeds in excess of 170kWh, even at 350 kWh stations. I have seen 170 kWh from the 150 kWh stations.

I don't have a lot of EA experience as 90% of my charging is done at home. The few road trips I've taken with the Taycan are where I've seen higher speeds but it was summer and much warmer out. Even then, only once did I see a speed north of 200 kWh.

Good start.
SoC has to be low.
Battery Friendly On or Off? Try Off.
73F is not enough to get fast speed as you need 95F or above.

I would try again by adjusting the above.

2025 example above does not count as the refresh models can charge quickly at much lower battery temps.

 

[ZenicaNC]

Were you at 10% battery when you plugged in the charger?
Peak charging curve of 270kwh is at 10% and lasts until about 15-20% after which it slowly drops to 200Kwh at 60%. From 60% to 80% you will be between 100kwh to 180ish max, and after 80% it will go around 50 kwh.

Good start.
SoC has to be low.
Battery Friendly On or Off? Try Off.
73F is not enough to get fast speed as you need 95F or above.

I would try again by adjusting the above.

2025 example above does not count as the refresh models can charge quickly at much lower battery temps.

I will try again, once I drain the battery to 10%. I think I was at 51% when I got there.

Today, it did what you (Chun) said it would do, it started charging at 74 kWh before climbing to 104kWh and then dropping to 62 kWh around 84%.

 

[W1NGE]

I needed to grab lunch so I took the opportunity to test this out. I first ran the preheat cycle for an hour, thinking it can't hurt. The car was in the garage and reading 61 Fahrenheit. I selected the EA station close to Bibibop where I was getting lunch. I made sure via the 3 dots that my Charging Planner was enabled. I set the navigation and sure enough, the preheat symbol showed on the center instrument cluster/display. By the time I got to EA, the battery was at 73 Fahrenheit. It peaked at 104kWh from a 350 kWh station. Since the station was (mostly) empty, I tried both, same speed across each station. The 150kWh station was occupied.

Only a handful of times have I seen charging speeds in excess of 170kWh, even at 350 kWh stations. I have seen 170 kWh from the 150 kWh stations.

I don't have a lot of EA experience as 90% of my charging is done at home. The few road trips I've taken with the Taycan are where I've seen higher speeds but it was summer and much warmer out. Even then, only once did I see a speed north of 200 kWh.

The preheat symbol is for the interior cabin NOT the battery.

The topic is on preconditioning of the battery which is achieved by following the instructions I and others have provided above.

For the avoidance of doubt consult the Owner's manual.

 

[ZenicaNC]

The preheat symbol is for the interior cabin NOT the battery.

The topic is on preconditioning of the battery which is achieved by following the instructions I and others have provided above.

For the avoidance of doubt consult the Owner's manual.

The symbol showed up automatically, after entering the EA station. I did not turn the preheat/cool back on after having it run while garaged. It also activated the steering wheel heater though not the seat heaters which seemed odd.

And yes, as has been mentioned and acknowledged, the owner's manual is an invaluable resource. Thanks for that already mentioned tidbit.

 

[W1NGE]

The symbol showed up automatically, after entering the EA station. I did not turn the preheat/cool back on after having it run while garaged. It also activated the steering wheel heater though not the seat heaters which seemed odd.

And yes, as has been mentioned and acknowledged, the owner's manual is an invaluable resource. Thanks for that already mentioned tidbit.

You must have a unique Taycan!

Preheat / cool will control the AC (using either the last set temp or modified), rear demister (therefore door mirror heating), seat heating (all or separately) and steering wheel heating. Depending on the ambient and detected moisture in the cabin air not all features will be enabled.

 

[ZenicaNC]

You must have a unique Taycan!

Preheat / cool will control the AC (using either the last set temp or modified), rear demister (therefore door mirror heating), seat heating (all or separately) and steering wheel heating. Depending on the ambient and detected moisture in the cabin air not all features will be enabled.

You're such a ray of sunshine. People must flock to be around you.

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