Charging for dummies

[Fish Fingers]

Fairly new here....

Recently put a deposit down for a Taycan RWD and it's my first Porsche (currently in a BMW M2) and my first electric car.

But reading all the EV charging talk and Porsche EV options is a bit like everyone is talking in Welsh.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to try and learn the EV basics and the Taycan options basics please?

*I do know a little bit about home charging as next door has got a Tesla, so know I am going for a single phase, untethered charge point.

Any help appreciated. ?

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[mikeyyn]

Fairly new here....

Recently put a deposit down for a Taycan RWD and it's my first Porsche (currently in a BMW M2) and my first electric car.

But reading all the EV charging talk and Porsche EV options is a bit like everyone is talking in Welsh.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to try and learn the EV basics and the Taycan options basics please?

*I do know a little bit about home charging as next door has got a Tesla, so know I am going for a single phase, untethered charge point.

Any help appreciated. ?

There are many posts on this site. One that might be useful is the ‘ Show your home charging setup’ one. There is a lot of US specific stuff there but also lots on the UK too. The UK home setup is much simpler. Just get a 32A commando socket and use the supplied Porsche charger.

 

[W1NGE]

Yep, 32A will give you 7.4kW on any charger. All cables will be supplied with the charger (including 13A 3 pin plug for “that weekend away” last resort.

As mentioned plenty of chat on the forum - I’ve pasted below what I sent to someone yesterday;

In terms of charging:

1. The battery is 800V and therefore can take advantage of ultra fast DC chargers (270kW and above) if you can find one. As these chargers push the current at 800V then no conversion is necessary and is the main party trick of the Taycan's charging capability.

2. Fast chargers prevail and are growing in number. 150kW DC is the norm but the charge is delivered at 400V. For this to charge the car then it needs a DC to DC voltage converter. For this reason Porsche provides a 150kW 400V DC converter. Without it you can only charge at 50kW (which is not bad). For the small charge it makes sense to have this option.

3. So that's the DC part dealt with (just remember DC equates to rapid and ultra fast charging). Further down the tree comes AC charging primarily for home use but also public charging stations.

4. The Taycan has 11kW AC onboard fast charging capability by default which is great for overnight charging at home.

5. At considerable cost you can specify an onboard 22kW charger (twice as fast as 11kW AC) however for home use you will need a) three phase electrical supply and b) the Porsche Mobile Charger Connect or other 22kW capable charger to take advantage. Note that 11kW charging also requires 3 phase supply to get 11kW however for home use overnight charging on single phase (STD UK home supply) will give you 7.4kW charging - perfect for overnight top ups.

Check what public charging stations are available to you. If 50kW DC then great, 150kW (you'll need the 150kW DC 400V option to take full advantage), 350kW (nirvana!) you're all set and the car will eat it up, AC charging apart from home is least preferred and really hard to justify the 22kW onboard AC option.

Hope this brain dump helps!

 

[oalsaker]

AC Charging can be done at 230 V or 400 V in Europe. The current will be at 16 A or 32 A. Charging at 10A sounds like having a really bad day.

The power you charge at is (approximately) the voltage multiplied by the current (P=V*I)

16A*230V=3680 W=3,7 kW
16A*400V=6400 W=6,4 kW
32A*230V=7360 W=7,4 kW
32A*400V=12800 W=13 kW*

If you add a three phase system, these numbers increase by square root of three:

16A*230V*sqrt(3)=6374 W=6,4 kW
16A*400V*sqrt(3)=11085 W=11,1 kW
32A*230V*sqrt(3)=12748 W=12,7 kW*
32A*400V*sqrt(3)=22170 W=22,2 kW*

In real life you can expect approximately 10 % power loss.

*(Taycan is limited to 11 kW or 22 kW with option)

 

[SteveMc]

If you're looking for something very introductory, Which? have just published an excellent beginners guide to EV charging in the UK covering costs, home charging and public charging.

Find it here

 

[kreshi]

The 150kw charger you guys mentioned. I was thinking all the time "did I miss this in the config?". Just looked it up and it was standard when I ordered. Is it not with other countries or the RWD?

 

[spiker]

The 150kw charger you guys mentioned. I was thinking all the time "did I miss this in the config?". Just looked it up and it was standard when I ordered. Is it not with other countries or the RWD?

Not sure if it was ever standard in the UK or Ireland, priced at just less than 300 pounds
on the configurator.

 

[W1NGE]

The 150kw charger you guys mentioned. I was thinking all the time "did I miss this in the config?". Just looked it up and it was standard when I ordered. Is it not with other countries or the RWD?

Not in UK. 50kW 400V is but 150kW 400V is not.

 

[rbt3]

The 150kw charger you guys mentioned. I was thinking all the time "did I miss this in the config?". Just looked it up and it was standard when I ordered. Is it not with other countries or the RWD?

I have it on my 4S and it was an option at the time I ordered around $500 in the US.

 

[Pwh819]

Fairly new here....

Recently put a deposit down for a Taycan RWD and it's my first Porsche (currently in a BMW M2) and my first electric car.

But reading all the EV charging talk and Porsche EV options is a bit like everyone is talking in Welsh.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to try and learn the EV basics and the Taycan options basics please?

*I do know a little bit about home charging as next door has got a Tesla, so know I am going for a single phase, untethered charge point.

Any help appreciated. ?

Some great info on the forum but if you wanted to do a deeper dive, I found this on You Tube (and several others) which are very informative.

 

[Will Perrott]

Fairly new here....

Recently put a deposit down for a Taycan RWD and it's my first Porsche (currently in a BMW M2) and my first electric car.

But reading all the EV charging talk and Porsche EV options is a bit like everyone is talking in Welsh.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to try and learn the EV basics and the Taycan options basics please?

*I do know a little bit about home charging as next door has got a Tesla, so know I am going for a single phase, untethered charge point.

Any help appreciated. ?

Hi. I've had mine for 6 months now and have only ever charged at home or at work. Just a tip for home charging in the UK. You can get a cheap rate night-time tariff. I get 4 hours at 5p a kWh. That gets me 20 miles of range each night for 50p = 2.5p/mile which covers my commute and a bit extra. My charger is only connected to a 13 Amp socket and runs at 10A.
Will

 

[Fish Fingers]

Thank you for everyone who has posted so far.
I will digest it and probably have some more questions before the build is locked.

 

[Fish Fingers]

So reading up on all this, it seems sensible to spec the 150kw on board charger then.

Next question.
We live in a town house with the garage integrated into the ground floor of house (ie no windows and access via door from the house).

The garage has been converted into a home gym, so the car is going to live on the drive. It also has an electric roller shutter, so cabling out is an issue.

Given this setup, is it better to get a dedicated charging socket outside the house, as I've read the PMC isn't weatherproof (unless you get the large surround - which I dont really want due to its size)?

I also quite like the look of the Sync EV charger. Very small and compact.

Does this all sound like I am on the right lines?

Lastly do I need to spec anything else with the car for this setup?

Thanks for all help once again.

 

[W1NGE]

Outside charging is fine and weatherproofing therefore a key consideration.

So any charger that takes your fancy and can deliver 7.4kW will be a good home charging option. Unless you've gone for the 22kW AC upgrade (and will have a 3 phase electrical supply) then most chargers will provide 9.6kW to 11kW maximum charge capability.

Shame you have to take 2 chargers PMC+ standard (or PMCC as an option) and one for outside. There may be other ways to provide weatherproofing / shelter for either of the Porsche options without buying the pedastal or wall dock.

Not that you will need to run a 32A circuit to the charger from your main fuse box to get 7.4kW charging capability.

All cables should come with the charger that you need but suggest getting the 7m cable from Porsche as a no cost option.

 

[mikeyyn]

Outside charging is fine and weatherproofing therefore a key consideration.

So any charger that takes your fancy and can deliver 7.4kW will be a good home charging option. Unless you've gone for the 22kW AC upgrade (and will have a 3 phase electrical supply) then most chargers will provide 9.6kW to 11kW maximum charge capability.

Shame you have to take 2 chargers PMC+ standard (or PMCC as an option) and one for outside. There may be other ways to provide weatherproofing / shelter for either of the Porsche options without buying the pedastal or wall dock.

Not that you will need to run a 32A circuit to the charger from your main fuse box to get 7.4kW charging capability.

All cables should come with the charger that you need but suggest getting the 7m cable from Porsche as a no cost option.

I think the 7m cable is only available with the PMCC, not the PMC+.

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