Porsche mobile charger plus vs level 2 home ev charger

[calchoi]

Hi,
I m a new Taycan owner and I wonder if anyone has any suggestions for me. My new Taycan came with mobile home charger plus (9.6kw - 40amp), initially I was thinking to install a 40-50amp home charger in the garage, but I saw the spec for the home charger. I was wondering why I need a home charger while the mobile charger also has similar spec. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Please advise

Sponsored

 

[Tooney]

Suggest you not rely on any Porsche brand EVSE for home charging. See many posts on forum for why, including this thread: https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...uide-to-the-porsche-evse-pmc-pmcc-pwcc.13886/

For related info on home charging see:
https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/threads/us-home-charging-recommendation-this-is-as-simple-as-i-can-make-it…honestly-bare-bones-least-amount-of-text….11745/
and:
https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/threads/us-over-the-top-the-well-equipped-ev-home-garage…for-those-that-wish-to-over-do-it-….2343/
and:
https://www.youtube.com/@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney

 

[IanG]

Just for a somewhat different perspective - I appreciate (and relied heavily on) @daveo4EV's posts, but given that the Porsche charger came with my car, I decided to try using it before making a decision about buying a different brand. It does get warm, so I set it to 32A and it stays relatively cool and works just fine (I set the profile and timer to charge to 85% overnight and it does; and I have an EA charger near work so I use that as well). Depending on your needs (and making sure your wiring is done well), it may be that the Porsche charger will serve you just fine...

 

[DougFrisk]

Hi,
I m a new Taycan owner and I wonder if anyone has any suggestions for me. My new Taycan came with mobile home charger plus (9.6kw - 40amp), initially I was thinking to install a 40-50amp home charger in the garage, but I saw the spec for the home charger. I was wondering why I need a home charger while the mobile charger also has similar spec. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Please advise

What I would advise is that you leave the PMC+ in the car and install an inexpensive hardwired EVSE in your garage. Between tax credits and rebates the $1000 I spent on the Wallbox 48 amp EVSE I installed for our still delayed Taycan the eventual cost will be just about nothing.

Why have two EVSEs when the PMC+ along with a 50 amp outlet would work? Because eventually you're going to be traveling in your Taycan, something's going to go wrong and you're going to need to plug the PMC+ into a 15 amp household outlet to give your car enough charge to make it to a non-broken DC fast charger. Or maybe you never will, but if the PMC+ is hanging in your garage the option isn't open to you.

The PMCC and PMC+ aren't even the best travel chargers, but they came with the car and are effectively free or at the very least a sunk cost.

 

[Eric]

Just for a somewhat different perspective - I appreciate (and relied heavily on) @daveo4EV's posts, but given that the Porsche charger came with my car, I decided to try using it before making a decision about buying a different brand. It does get warm, so I set it to 32A and it stays relatively cool and works just fine (I set the profile and timer to charge overnight and it does; and I have an EA charger near work so I use that as well). Depending on your needs (and making sure your wiring is done well), it may be that the Porsche charger will serve you just fine...

Agree totally the Porsche charger is just fine if you keep the Amps to 32.I have monitored the temps on the charging cord and the outlet and they are just fine ie on the outlet room temp and at the end of the charging cord warm but not hot.32 Amps is plenty for overnight charging

 

[daveo4EV]

all of the advice on this thread is excellent…below I'm not attempting to 'add' anything to this thread - rather clarify my position as I'm somewhat outspoken on this topic…

as we crest the 1/2 point of 2023 the need for a "mobile" EVSE (charger) in the car with you during travel is becoming less and less and increasingly only with you for piece of mind (but in reality rarely used - like a spare tire). I won't tell anyone not to travel with a mobile EVSE, but these days I use my mobile EVSE very very very rarely…increasingly public charging is sufficient/available such that a mobile EVSE does not need to be unpacked while traveling (exceptions prove the rule here).

NOTE: to be fully honest/transparent - in the past two years I have never _NEEDED_ to use my mobile charger - rather it was "used" because I could use while I was some place where I could plug in - in all circumstances there were sufficient public chargers near by such that if I did not have my own mobile EVSE I still would've been fine. But since I was at a location with a NEMA plug, and I had my mobile EVSE I figured "why not, I'll just plug in because I can". I have not needed my mobile EVSE to complete trip since about late 2020…rather it's all been "opportunistic" charging - not charging because I had no other options.

what is 100% required for traveling is a TeslaTap - utilization will be high and it essentially is one of the reasons you don't need your own Mobile EVSE - you can use other people's tesla EVSE's if you have a TeslaTap with you for traveling.

the Porsche PMC+/PMCC lack greatness, but they are included with the vehicle so they are effectively free (please don't pay $1120 for the PMCC) and as long as they work there is no reason to spend money on anything else…even though i hate them (for well documented reasons)

a few thoughts on "dialing down" the amps to avoid "the issues"…
I agree dialing down the amps to less than 40 amps mitigates the thermal issues and is normally sufficient for overnight charging. But I'm of two minds - yes it fixes avoids/mitigates the the design short falls, but where else in our lives do we find it acceptable to use a product at below it specified/advertised/engineered capacity. Porsche markets/sells a 9.6 kW EVSE - and yet to avoid foreseeable problems it can not effectively/reliably operate at that capacity. There are $200 alternative EVSE's that have zero issues running at a full 9.6 kW charge rate with no issues what so ever. So while yes you can use a PMC+/PMCC at reduced capacities - I find it frustrating/laughable that we as Porsche customers are willing to do that. At best it's a work around for a flawed product. But some people find that acceptable - I do not. No one would accept a freezer than can only cool to 36F/2C because running it as a "freezer" causes it to overheat - Porsche's PMC+/PMCC are supposed to be 9.6 kW/40 amp EVESE's - they often fail when used at that capacity - fact, end of story - but they can be adjusted to "less" and that reduces their failure rate. Acceptable? Debate will continue.

installing a NEMA 14-50/6-50 outlet for an EVSE is common and best practice for any EV owner - follow Porsche's excellent advice for installation - see the actual PDF from Porsche referenced in this thread…

if you must carry a mobile EVSE with you when traveling the PMC+/PMCC is acceptable (given that it's included) - but there are better/smaller/lighter/more-functional alternatives. As to if it's worth it? Well it all depends on why you want a mobile EVSE with you, and if you plan on using it frequently. There is no clear answer - it's like spare tire questions: no spare, fake spare, full spare?

if you are contemplating a "fixed/home/non-mobile" EVSE there are a wide range of excellent non-porsche options - plug based or hardwired - all North American mobile/plug-based EVSE's are limited to maximum charge rate of 9.6 kW (40 amps on a 50 amp 240V circuit) - one of the advantages of non-mobile hardwired EVSE's is they are not limited to 50/40 amps (9.6 kw) and can be installed in 50/60/70/80/90/100 amp breakers (up to 19.2 kW max power) - also hardwired units can be configured to "share" a single breaker and split the load for charging multiple EV's at the same time for your future multi-EV household.

If installing a hardwired EVSE in your home I strongly suggest looking into installing at least a 60 amp circuit (48 amp charge rate - 11 kW) which is maximize the charge rate of your standard Taycan. This will be great for your current taycan and any future EV's you may consider.

my advice for the PMC+/PMCC is that if you have it and want to use it - do so and you'll probably be fine - but the minute it gives you any grief (if it ever does) just abandon it and move on to something else - it won't be worth the trouble/cost/time to attempt to resolve _ANY_ issue you may encounter - I believe there is ample evidence on the forums that is a likely outcome. If you have no problems with it, use it, enjoy it, and drive the Taycan (focus on the car). If it gives problems, well then you're not the only one and it's easy/effective to just pivot to something else should that be required.

I hope this helps.

 

[Tooney]

Most home EVSEs come with manufacturer's warranty, clearly stated on website. Can anyone share a copy of or link to the warranty for PMC+, PMCC, or PWCC?

 

[jkoya]

Our local Costco (Northern CA) had the Wallbox Pulsar Plus 40 amp EVSE for around $449.99 (can't remember the actual price). Power sharing capable and 25 foot cable according to the box. They had a stack of them.

I have no experience with Wallbox (Schneider, Tesla, ChargePoint and Autel EVSE owner), but I heard they have been reliable and I believe still qualify for the 30% tax credit (IRS 8911).

Just in case anyone was interested.......

 

[daveo4EV]

Our local Costco (Northern CA) had the Wallbox Pulsar Plus 40 amp EVSE for around $449.99 (can't remember the actual price). Power sharing capable and 25 foot cable according to the box. They had a stack of them.

I have no experience with Wallbox (Schneider, Tesla, ChargePoint and Autel EVSE owner), but I heard they have been reliable and I believe still qualify for the 30% tax credit (IRS 8911).

Just in case anyone was interested.......

Wallbox is solid - good choice - personally would prefer the 48 amp version (60 amp breaker) but 40 amp (50 amp breaker) would also be acceptable

+100 for any EVSE that supports future "sharing" of two EVSE's for multi-EV household (Wallbox, Enphase/ClipperCreek, Tesla).

Sponsored