Do I really need to pay $27/month to see my Taycan’s range on my phone?

[Caraholic]

I do think it’s over priced. One thing that kind of ticks me is the charging planner is not included when we specifically paid extra for it when we bought the car.

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[PDAZ]

Appreciate the answers from the others. Not so much from the person that told me to stop complaining about being charged for something many other automakers offer for free.

Even my other car fiat500e charge after 3 years bit only 30usd per year, more realistic

 

[Donar]

At least in Europe a decent part of the cost is to cover supplying an eSIM that works in 30+ countries. With native Apple Music and/or Spotify streaming, potentially gigabytes of data a month.

True but I had that same service for Europe for my Polestar and also for my girlfriends Mercedes, both for free.

I find it expensive, also because Porsche Security adds another 300 euro’s. But it is what it is.

 

[MrJones02]

The more expensive the car/brand, the less you are allowed to think rationally about price.
You’ve got to pay to play ... even if what you get in return is mediocre at best.

I must not be suited for high(er)-end cars, because I also think the price for a basic feature is too high and therefor don't pay it. (and don't really miss it either)

 

[Flying ace]

The trip planner on the app alone is worth the fee, if you use your car for long distance travel. I've learned that many owners actually do not. So I can see where the value/return isn't there for many owners.

If we're talking about the principle of continuously paying annual fees, then yes relative to cars from say 20 years ago, this is a shocking concept. But nearly all connected car features across all luxury manufacturers charge for these features now.

If the issue is the cost, then I agree, there's no real reason why Porsche is twice the cost of all other luxury manufacturers fees. IIRC BMW is at $10 a month. Further, the connectivity responsiveness is a bit slower (and inconsistent at times) than BMW's. It seems like Porsche's tech is half to a full generation behind everyone else's, so I have an issue paying a 2x premium on a subpar product.

 

[Gino]

I look at it as just another connected device. Each of my iPhones, iPads & MacBook Pro/Air cost $15/month so I’m not surprised Porsche charges $27. I would just expect a bit more from Porsche since they charge a premium (almost double any other connected device)

 

[D00notD00d]

Its ironic they now can't monitor the battery-health of cars who don't have an active connect subscription

At least in the UK, Taycan has always had 10 years free basic ‘Connect Care’, which includes monitoring, breakdown call and access to the Driver Manual.
Are you certain you don’t have OTA monitoring and updates?

 

[jmebid]

As I said on an earlier thread on the same subject, this just isn’t a lot of money compared to the price of the car. When you’re spending six figures on a car and you’re asked to pay another $324 a year I understand that you might feel upset, but in the end, is it really a lot of money?

The PCM Connect service has some inherent costs, and the idea that Porsche wants to recover those costs is not particularly odd to me. I pay similar amounts for subscription to important apps that I use on my smart phone.

Also, remember that when Porsche entered into the EV game, they were learning everything from scratch. Having had some experience now, they know that bundling the cost of a 10 year subscription into the price of the car is the way to go. Good for them.

For those of us who would not own the car for 10 years, we will paid extra but in the end if it’s less irritating for clients, then they did the right thing.

 

[Tooney]

I subscribe to this service so the car will inform the mothership if it detects battery cell degradation which if left unaddressed could lead to a fire. I also have a smoke detector in my garage. Overkill is just about right.

Nothing wrong with overkill but a paid subscription is not needed for OTA monitoring of HV battery.

 

[tigerbalm]

Nothing wrong with overkill but a paid subscription is not needed for OTA monitoring of HV battery.

It is also my understanding that an active subscription is not required for the car to send its telemetric back to Porsche. But has that ever been confirmed as opposed to just what we've observed ?

That Porsche do pay to keep the eSIM connection alive regardless. I'm guessing the need to do so for regulatory reasons at least in the EU for the eCall service.

 

[Flying ace]

$27 seems way more expensive than services offered by BMW which IIRC was around $10.

And this is for an aging tech and subpar UE. This is also includes the data service for the in car charge planner to correct?

 

[Tooney]

It is also my understanding that an active subscription is not required for the car to send its telemetric back to Porsche. But has that ever been confirmed as opposed to just what we've observed ?

That Porsche do pay to keep the eSIM connection alive regardless. I'm guessing the need to do so for regulatory reasons at least in the EU for the eCall service.

Good question.

Two Connect services:
--Porsche Connect - requires paid subscription after 3 years or so for pre-2026 Taycans
--Porsche Connect Care - 10-year subscription included. Porsche Connect Care includes "smart service". (Likely that is related to the connect service listed in PCM as "Data Transfer (Service)".)

Extracts below from 2 Porsche documents show:
--To install OTA software updates, active Porsche Connect Care package is required.
--US owners included in ARB6/ARB7 recall had recall remedy which included software for battery module monitoring at no charge to owners.

Extract from ARB7 TSB:

Extract from ARB6/ARB7 recall US Owner Notification Letter:

 

[W1NGE]

I subscribe to this service so the car will inform the mothership if it detects battery cell degradation which if left unaddressed could lead to a fire. I also have a smoke detector in my garage. Overkill is just about right.

I think Porsche Connect Care continues regardless and doesn't require a subscription until 10 years have elapsed. Logic being that this gives Porsche data not accessible to the owner. All other Connect services were 3 years renewable but now 10 years also.

 

[Minimal]

As is often the case, the cost isn’t the issue — the perceived value is. If everything worked consistently and offered an experience superior to many free/cheaper options, I think many wouldn’t have an issue paying.

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