First Fast-Charging Experience in a Pinch

[Fall7St8nd]

Well the day finally came... I was running around town so much that I didn't have enough time to go home and charge my car before the next errand. I started the day as usual at 80% (205mi). My last errand required 30mi and I was at 10%. While I successfully navigated the situation, I definitely had a few observations I wanted to share:

1. Limited access to fast-charging - I knew this when buying a Porsche EV, but the nearest fast charging station is 15mi away. And in this particular case, it was in the opposite direction. We definitely need more fast-charging stations in my area. Interestingly enough, the nearest Tesla station is 10mi away and centrally located for my driving routine... it'd be great if they opened up their stations to other EV's soon.
2. Electrify America (EA) station layout - This particular EV station leveraged an existing parking lot where the chargers were squeezed in and made the spaces for vehicles to park laughably small. There was no chance I was attempting to pull in next to someone else... and side shuffle my way out without hitting the other car with my door. I copied some others and pulled around to the parking spaces on the opposite side of the charger... with the cord just barely being long enough to reach. EV station design definitely needs improvement - e.g., I think about the typical convenience of spacing and layout at gas stations.
3. EA charging rate - one positive was Plug & Charge... worked without issue! I preconditioned my battery on the way and was excited to reach the Taycan's max 270kW charge at the 350kW EA station (JK... I knew this was highly unlikely)... I achieved max 175 kW and it took me ~15mins to get up to 100mi of range.

This is only my second time fast-charging... and first time in a pinch. Home charging has worked out great, given my typical daily commute. If I were in a situation where I needed to rely on fast-charging regularly, I'm not sure I would make the switch to an EV just yet.

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