cantwait

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Got my Taycan CT 4S two weeks before planned trip to French Alps for half term. We drove, but had some bad luck and trouble with charging, some of which could perhaps have been avoided with better planning, but not all, and wanted to share here so others don't suffer the same mistakes.

Decided to follow the car Sat Nav with charge planning, to keep things simple. All motorway fast chargers through France had been working perfectly. 15 mins passes very fast. We didnt mind the stops, and the dogs loved the extra quick walks.

At one station which had reported 5/6 available we arrived to find 4 of the 6 chargers fenced off and building work underway. Luckily one was free, and we edged through a gap in the fence and parked sideways alongside building material and charged at 230kW..

Real problem was with the last one. 10.30pm with 1hr left to drive we arrived at Ionity Bonneville. All chargers showing as free and online. I was able to easily activate and "start" the process as per other Ionity chargers, but instead of the normal click and reassuring buzz from both the charge tower and the nearby electrical cabinets behind the fences there was just silence... and then after a few seconds a message on Ionity screen saying "Charging is delayed until power is available". Then the car says charging failed. I tried 4 of the posts before giving up. There was no-one to ask at the cafe area which was closed, and the normal petrol pumps were all self-service. I seem to remember we had 11% SOC charge, and 1 more hour drive to go up into the mountains. I figured out that if I drove another 20 mins (slowly) in the wrong direction to where we were trying to go I could reach another fast charger, but would then have to double back, and I was worried about running out of charge completely.

The Porsche app was not showing other fast options, so I pulled out my Shell ReCharge app, to see if there were any other chargers nearby, and I found a 50kW DC charger in a nearby town, so headed that way. Eventually found it in a car-park at a truck rental company, but it wasn't 50kW at all. It was 24kW DC, and actually charged at 18kW. We had to just rest in the car for 90mins to get the charge needed, and then eventually reached the resort at 3am...

On the way back to the UK, all the chargers were fine, until the car directed us to a 300kW charger at Fastned Aire de Saint Hilaire Cottes, our last stop before Calais. When we arrived we found the chargers present, and seemingly powered up, but completely fenced off and surrounded by diggers and construction work as a new covering was being erected for people to park underneath.... Sunday, no-one around, and no way to reach the actual chargers. This time, I double checked the apps, and the Porsche app said 0/4 available. But who is to know if that means just a queue - it was Feb half term after all, and last fast charger before Calais - or that they not actually reachable? And if the 0/4 was meaning to say not available at all, why does the car add it into the route...

Again, without enough charge to get to Calais we set off again, knowing we'd be routed elsewhere. This time we were directed 15 mins into the countryside to a little town, and a big shiny 150kw charge in a Lidl car park. Arrived with 4% SOC. But it would not start. Porsche card, Shell card, credit card. I scanned the QR code and it opened a website. Bingo "click here to charge", only to then be told the charger is "already in use". I tried the whole process a few times. With cable connected, disconnected, tried charger 1 and 2, made no difference, just kept saying the charger is already in use, when clearly it as not. No phone number on the unit to call for help / advice.

Alongside in the same car park was another slightly rusty looking box, with no screen, just a red and green button, and a QR code. I scanned the code, got to the same website, clicked "start charge" and it asked for payment details. Entered these, and then it fired up. Little door unlocked which let me attached my cable from the boot and I was charging. 10.4kW. I suspect it was a 22kW AC charger but I only had the 150kW option selected on my car, so maxes out at 11kW on AC, I believe. Another 45 mins on that charger then off to Calais to a faster charger before Eurotunnel check in. We were late, and had been bumped to another train, so another 2 hour delay.

Turns out there are fast EVGenie chargers the Eurotunnel in Calais (had used before elsewhere on trip - cant remember if Porsche or Shell card). Am thinking I could have limped there slowly directly from the Fastned charger, but who knows.... Something I would double check if it happened again.

Have been trying to figure out the lessons learned, which are probably this.
1. Car is awesome, really.
2. Infrastructure is not really there yet, for long trips. Enough went wrong to suggest it is safer to expect that something will.
3. For when it does, perhaps the 22kW AC charger option is a good one for the car. These chargers appear to be in every little town, and will halve your pain if you are forced to use one. Shell and Porsche apps show loads of these everywhere, and we saw loads of them too when looking out.
4. Regarding the Porsche Charge Planner, don't follow it blindly. Check which charger it is suggesting, and if not showing as 1 or more chargers currently available it may not be working at all (rather than just busy). I'm not sure which app is best to check to then know if it actually working/available, but maybe someone can suggest this? Naturally this checking is hard to do if driving... I've seen various posts about a little planning, and using ABRP (which I have used, but not "live" whilst driving), so I accept one should not just follow the planner.

I'm really hesitant to conclude that picking chargers where you still have enough charge to reach the next fast charger (if it doesnt work) is what is needed. This would mean charging more often and more slowly if having to not go below 20% or 30% SOC; and also complicated planning to work out back-up chargers. And it would not have helped us on the way to the Alps where the last fast charger didn't work - a detour or a slow charger was our only option. Rather, it seems one has to accept something can go wrong, and have the right apps, and 22kW option to mitigate this when it does?

I think when the infrastructure is more mature, with more chargers out there, it will be a breeze. If one stops at a charge station with 12% SOC to find that its not working, one should be able to just get back on the highway and reach the next fast charger within 50km. I don't mind the stops, or even queues. The problem is when they further apart than that, and one has to work out where to go, then detour from your route, and end up in a slow charger somewhere else...

Maybe there are some other fast charger networks that I am unaware of, but I was relying on the car and the Porsche charging network. But any suggestions of other networks that would have given access to more fast chargers would be appreciated??

All in all, trip was spoiled by the surprises, the extra time / delays and effort that was required to plan and solve the problems as they arose.

Great car, but feel I will need a week or two to get excited about it again.
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Tighlines

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Thanks for the detailed write up. I have a 23' 4S CT that I would like to run through the Colorado mountains but due to stories like yours I am holding off till the weather warms up. Plus, I would say our charging infrastructure lags even behind yours. I flat out don't trust EA to get me anywhere.
I have a cabin that is 150 miles away and 3200' above my permanent residence. I may be able to make it in the summer but no chance in the winter, especially with the way I drive. There are EA stations on the way but I don't trust any of them. When the tesla network opens up I will feel much more comfortable with that trip, lot more options for when things do go wrong.
Do you have any pics of your car in the Alps??
 

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Got my Taycan CT 4S two weeks before planned trip to French Alps for half term. We drove, but had some bad luck and trouble with charging, some of which could perhaps have been avoided with better planning, but not all, and wanted to share here so others don't suffer the same mistakes.

Decided to follow the car Sat Nav with charge planning, to keep things simple. All motorway fast chargers through France had been working perfectly. 15 mins passes very fast. We didnt mind the stops, and the dogs loved the extra quick walks.

At one station which had reported 5/6 available we arrived to find 4 of the 6 chargers fenced off and building work underway. Luckily one was free, and we edged through a gap in the fence and parked sideways alongside building material and charged at 230kW..

Real problem was with the last one. 10.30pm with 1hr left to drive we arrived at Ionity Bonneville. All chargers showing as free and online. I was able to easily activate and "start" the process as per other Ionity chargers, but instead of the normal click and reassuring buzz from both the charge tower and the nearby electrical cabinets behind the fences there was just silence... and then after a few seconds a message on Ionity screen saying "Charging is delayed until power is available". Then the car says charging failed. I tried 4 of the posts before giving up. There was no-one to ask at the cafe area which was closed, and the normal petrol pumps were all self-service. I seem to remember we had 11% SOC charge, and 1 more hour drive to go up into the mountains. I figured out that if I drove another 20 mins (slowly) in the wrong direction to where we were trying to go I could reach another fast charger, but would then have to double back, and I was worried about running out of charge completely.

The Porsche app was not showing other fast options, so I pulled out my Shell ReCharge app, to see if there were any other chargers nearby, and I found a 50kW DC charger in a nearby town, so headed that way. Eventually found it in a car-park at a truck rental company, but it wasn't 50kW at all. It was 24kW DC, and actually charged at 18kW. We had to just rest in the car for 90mins to get the charge needed, and then eventually reached the resort at 3am...

On the way back to the UK, all the chargers were fine, until the car directed us to a 300kW charger at Fastned Aire de Saint Hilaire Cottes, our last stop before Calais. When we arrived we found the chargers present, and seemingly powered up, but completely fenced off and surrounded by diggers and construction work as a new covering was being erected for people to park underneath.... Sunday, no-one around, and no way to reach the actual chargers. This time, I double checked the apps, and the Porsche app said 0/4 available. But who is to know if that means just a queue - it was Feb half term after all, and last fast charger before Calais - or that they not actually reachable? And if the 0/4 was meaning to say not available at all, why does the car add it into the route...

Again, without enough charge to get to Calais we set off again, knowing we'd be routed elsewhere. This time we were directed 15 mins into the countryside to a little town, and a big shiny 150kw charge in a Lidl car park. Arrived with 4% SOC. But it would not start. Porsche card, Shell card, credit card. I scanned the QR code and it opened a website. Bingo "click here to charge", only to then be told the charger is "already in use". I tried the whole process a few times. With cable connected, disconnected, tried charger 1 and 2, made no difference, just kept saying the charger is already in use, when clearly it as not. No phone number on the unit to call for help / advice.

Alongside in the same car park was another slightly rusty looking box, with no screen, just a red and green button, and a QR code. I scanned the code, got to the same website, clicked "start charge" and it asked for payment details. Entered these, and then it fired up. Little door unlocked which let me attached my cable from the boot and I was charging. 10.4kW. I suspect it was a 22kW AC charger but I only had the 150kW option selected on my car, so maxes out at 11kW on AC, I believe. Another 45 mins on that charger then off to Calais to a faster charger before Eurotunnel check in. We were late, and had been bumped to another train, so another 2 hour delay.

Turns out there are fast EVGenie chargers the Eurotunnel in Calais (had used before elsewhere on trip - cant remember if Porsche or Shell card). Am thinking I could have limped there slowly directly from the Fastned charger, but who knows.... Something I would double check if it happened again.

Have been trying to figure out the lessons learned, which are probably this.
1. Car is awesome, really.
2. Infrastructure is not really there yet, for long trips. Enough went wrong to suggest it is safer to expect that something will.
3. For when it does, perhaps the 22kW AC charger option is a good one for the car. These chargers appear to be in every little town, and will halve your pain if you are forced to use one. Shell and Porsche apps show loads of these everywhere, and we saw loads of them too when looking out.
4. Regarding the Porsche Charge Planner, don't follow it blindly. Check which charger it is suggesting, and if not showing as 1 or more chargers currently available it may not be working at all (rather than just busy). I'm not sure which app is best to check to then know if it actually working/available, but maybe someone can suggest this? Naturally this checking is hard to do if driving... I've seen various posts about a little planning, and using ABRP (which I have used, but not "live" whilst driving), so I accept one should not just follow the planner.

I'm really hesitant to conclude that picking chargers where you still have enough charge to reach the next fast charger (if it doesnt work) is what is needed. This would mean charging more often and more slowly if having to not go below 20% or 30% SOC; and also complicated planning to work out back-up chargers. And it would not have helped us on the way to the Alps where the last fast charger didn't work - a detour or a slow charger was our only option. Rather, it seems one has to accept something can go wrong, and have the right apps, and 22kW option to mitigate this when it does?

I think when the infrastructure is more mature, with more chargers out there, it will be a breeze. If one stops at a charge station with 12% SOC to find that its not working, one should be able to just get back on the highway and reach the next fast charger within 50km. I don't mind the stops, or even queues. The problem is when they further apart than that, and one has to work out where to go, then detour from your route, and end up in a slow charger somewhere else...

Maybe there are some other fast charger networks that I am unaware of, but I was relying on the car and the Porsche charging network. But any suggestions of other networks that would have given access to more fast chargers would be appreciated??

All in all, trip was spoiled by the surprises, the extra time / delays and effort that was required to plan and solve the problems as they arose.

Great car, but feel I will need a week or two to get excited about it again.
Sorry to read this, I did exactly the same as you for Christmas 1 week after getting my CT4S and it was flawless charging. IONITY not working surprises me as we used it all the way there and back and it never missed a beat. We even went over to Italy for a few days.

I had done a lot of prep on ABRP before getting the car so knew that Reims to Calais was always going to be the pinch point especially with negative temps. I used the Tesla St Quentin as a last stop heading back towards the Eurotunnel as Fastned St Hilaire Cottes hadn't opened then, it opened briefly in January but closed again until mid-March. That stretch is most in need of South to North additions.

The rate at which France is opening fast chargers at motorway services is incredible so by Easter the journey will be significantly easier, south of Troyes every services has a minimum of 4x175kw chargers, they Tweeted this around December 20th.

It is worth checking open Tesla chargers too as they're not always on the PCM or the other charging apps, Megeve has some up around where you were and if going to the Tarentaise Albertville has a brand new supercharger site with c.16 x 250 about 30kms past the last IONITY.

Hopefully that's your bad trip out of the way, we all know we're going to have one at some point. I'm far more fearful about driving to Scotland than I am of going to France!
 

FredC057

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Hi,

The best is to use ABRP in advance to know and change the parameters to have more than 2 chargers where you will stop.
Then use the car sat nav to go to those stops. (don't use ABRP sat nav, it's not precise enough)
I'm also using Chargemap to verify that the station was used recently and that there is not too often problems like you can have with Total that I'm trying to avoid from now on.

But when you were in Ionity Bonneville, did you call them to say that it was not working?
They can remotely restart the station and tell you when somebody used it last so you could maybe change to another charger that was working.
And if it's really blocked, they can change the status to unavailable for the apps and sat nav.
I was never blocked at Ionity, I had to move the car once or twice because it won't start or because it was not fast enough for me.

And if you are blocked, please leave a comment in Chargemap or PlugShare that the other users know that there is an issue and avoid that one.
 

Scandinavian

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On the way back to the UK, all the chargers were fine, until the car directed us to a 300kW charger at Fastned Aire de Saint Hilaire Cottes, our last stop before Calais. When we arrived we found the chargers present, and seemingly powered up, but completely fenced off and surrounded by diggers and construction work as a new covering was being erected for people to park underneath.... Sunday, no-one around, and no way to reach the actual chargers. This time, I double checked the apps, and the Porsche app said 0/4 available. But who is to know if that means just a queue - it was Feb half term after all, and last fast charger before Calais - or that they not actually reachable? And if the 0/4 was meaning to say not available at all, why does the car add it into the route...

Again, without enough charge to get to Calais we set off again, knowing we'd be routed elsewhere. This time we were directed 15 mins into the countryside to a little town, and a big shiny 150kw charge in a Lidl car park. Arrived with 4% SOC. But it would not start. Porsche card, Shell card, credit card. I scanned the QR code and it opened a website. Bingo "click here to charge", only to then be told the charger is "already in use". I tried the whole process a few times. With cable connected, disconnected, tried charger 1 and 2, made no difference, just kept saying the charger is already in use, when clearly it as not. No phone number on the unit to call for help /
First of all I am sorry you had to experience this problem. You are correct the stretch from Reims to the Tunnel is a bit problematic. And the Porsche charging Planner does not do a good job there. The really crazy thing is that on the other side of the motorway where you tried the Fastned charger, is an Ionity station. In order to reach that you have to go a further 10 to 15 km, to turn and charge. Then later you have to do a similar turn to continue. It is a bit of a hiccup, but it works. ABRP would have picked that one up if you set the filters correctly.

I a. Also surprised about your experience at Ionity Bonneville. While I have experienced the same message a few times at Ionity, a call to their helpline has restarted the chargers and problem avoided. Did you try to call them and asked them help You??

As advised by others it is always good to plan with ABRP (or other planner if you prefer) to see alternative stations as a back up. ABRP can be set to only show Ionity if you prefer. Takes a bit of effort to set the cars consumption , but well worth the effort.
 


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I'm also using Chargemap to verify that the station was used recently and that there is not too often problems like you can have with Total that I'm trying to avoid from now on.
I am also using Chargemap for this.
It is a good way to double check that the chargers you have in mind are reliable or not.

Unfortunately the infrastructure today still requires a bit of extra time to plan your route in enough detail.
 

Tighlines

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Are you serious???? You spent $130k to $150k on a vehicle that you are afraid to drive a moderate distance?????

Can you elaborate on your Electrify America usage experience? I have been to all four corners of Colorado in my '22 CT4s and have never had an issue with an Electrify America charger, nor any of the State of Colorado chargers in Durango, Alamosa, Pagosa, Steamboat, Craig, and in Dinosaur. I have done multiple trips to Vegas, Scottsdale, Jackson, and Kansas City in my CT4s with no issues. I did multiple California and Texas road trips in the '20 Taycan I had before my CT4s.

Seems like you need to venture out a little more before making comments on things you have little experience with. There is absolutely no need to leverage the Tesla supercharging network if you have a CCS vehicle in Colorado, and if you think that, then you just wasted a lot of money and bought the wrong car.

Sorry for jumping off topic since this is a thread about chargers in Europe. It would be great to see any pictures you may have taken of your vehicle in the Alps, since I have enough of mine in the Colorado and Wyoming Rockies.

Cheers
Easy there fella... you are making a lot of assumptions about my situation.
The Taycan is not my only car but it is my only EV. While my experience is not vast with EA stations (the car is only 2 months old), I have been to two 350kw EA stations and could only muster a 79kw charge, so not ideal. I also watch all of the 'Out of Spec' reviews on the EA network in Northern Colorado and they are all negative. Plus there are many anecdotes like the one above that tell me it's just not worth taking my brand new $150k car out into the cold, snow, gravel, salt, mag chloride and regular road closures when I don't have to. So am I scared? Na, I chalk it up to not being dumb.
As far as venturing out more; I have regular accounts from Jackson Hole to Aspen and everything between. I put around 40k miles a year on my other ICE cars. I just don't need to expose that car to those environments when I don't have to. I bought this car purely for the fun of it and its the perfect car for my situation. Sounds like we purchased these cars for different reasons...
I am happy to hear you have not had any issues with your public charging experiences in Colorado but that would make you one of the few.
 

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the only issues I had during a winter road trip up I95 from FL to NYC during a period of cold weather was charging speeds at the EA units. I encountered many units that were operating at very low speeds and at that time EA was aware of the problem and may have even caused the issues because of their own infrastructure issues.

in my tesla I traveled from FL to CO, spent a month there in extremely cold weather.
I did have to be cognizant of how the cold affected the cars and how topography impacted range. and when I stayed in places where the car was parked outdoors I kept it plugged into a 110 outlet to mitigate vampire drain.
I had a tough ride going west on I70 because of low temps and strong headwinds and a slight but constant upgrade but over all I had no issues.
 


Tighlines

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You bought a CT4s purely for fun, but you have not gone anywhere in it, and are afraid of the CCS charging infrastructure???? So, basically, you are sharing that you bought a Taycan to go to Whole Foods and the mall on a Saturday. Good on you, my man. Personally, I would rather dodge traffic on I-70 or I-25 in the winter than dodge some suburbanite driving a Tahoe while on a cell phone at the Whole Foods parking lot or Park Meadows.

Once again, don't judge the charging network unless you have actually used it - using an urban EA charger with a cold battery limiting charging speeds does not count. If the changing network in northern Colorado is so bad it is a wonder how Kyle does any vehicle reviews or road trips??????? God lord man, don't be so gullible. So, you watched the one video showing the new BTC chargers not working in the super cold and now you are a CCS infrastructure expert???? Did you watch the follow up video showing that the Electrify America fix took care of that issue???

If you bought a Taycan for different reasons them I did, that is all good. My car is not a garage queen or transport to Target on a Saturday afternoon. Please just don't comment on things you don't have any experience with. Watching "diarrhea of the mouth" Kyle whine on Youtube does not count. If he was serious about what is saying currently why has he not gotten rid of his Rivian or his Model S???? 90% of his content is click bait bull$hit.

Don't be afraid of the CCS charging infrastructure. So far this year I have done Denver to Scottsdale and back in my CT4s and Denver to Houston and back in my F-150 Lightning. I used 18 different EA chargers in 6 states on those two trips and did not experience a single issue.

If you decide to wait until Tesla has updated their Colorado superchargers before actually doing something fun with your CT4s, let us know how that goes. I am curious to see how the Tesla natives take to you when you are blocking two charging spots trying to get your car in the right position to plug in with the super short Tesla cables.
I was going to say 'easy there fella' but obviously that only makes you more aggressive.
Also, over punctuating a statement doesn't make it any more true!!!!!!! 😗

This was just yesterday going to Whole Foods in my other car.
Porsche Taycan Taycan CT 4S road trip - UK to French Alps - charging issues and advice Screenshot_20220405-201514_Video Player

Different strokes for different fokes, I guess.

Safe travels 👋
 

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You bought a CT4s purely for fun, but you have not gone anywhere in it, and are afraid of the CCS charging infrastructure???? So, basically, you are sharing that you bought a Taycan to go to Whole Foods and the mall on a Saturday. Good on you, my man. Personally, I would rather dodge traffic on I-70 or I-25 in the winter than dodge some suburbanite driving a Tahoe while on a cell phone at the Whole Foods parking lot or Park Meadows.

Once again, don't judge the charging network unless you have actually used it - using an urban EA charger with a cold battery limiting charging speeds does not count. If the changing network in northern Colorado is so bad it is a wonder how Kyle does any vehicle reviews or road trips??????? God lord man, don't be so gullible. So, you watched the one video showing the new BTC chargers not working in the super cold and now you are a CCS infrastructure expert???? Did you watch the follow up video showing that the Electrify America fix took care of that issue???

If you bought a Taycan for different reasons them I did, that is all good. My car is not a garage queen or transport to Target on a Saturday afternoon. Please just don't comment on things you don't have any experience with. Watching "diarrhea of the mouth" Kyle whine on Youtube does not count. If he was serious about what is saying currently why has he not gotten rid of his Rivian or his Model S???? 90% of his content is click bait bull$hit.

Don't be afraid of the CCS charging infrastructure. So far this year I have done Denver to Scottsdale and back in my CT4s and Denver to Houston and back in my F-150 Lightning. I used 18 different EA chargers in 6 states on those two trips and did not experience a single issue.

If you decide to wait until Tesla has updated their Colorado superchargers before actually doing something fun with your CT4s, let us know how that goes. I am curious to see how the Tesla natives take to you when you are blocking two charging spots trying to get your car in the right position to plug in with the super short Tesla cables.
Yep there is definitely not enough balanced perspective on the forum re good vs bad experiences with EA - I too and others in Texas have had zero issues in over a year of driving and using EA stations there - 100% success rate in PnC and decent enough charging rates. CA seems to possibly genuinely have more than a fair share of non-working units (perhaps a harbinger of things to come due to more excessive use there?) and no doubt if longer term maintenance slacks off combined with much increased use with more EVs on the roads, we may see more issues.

Also spot on re a cold battery test and TBH, whilst I rarely have seen charging rates as high as say 240 KWH + from EA's 350 kWh chargers, I also never really had any issue waiting an extra 10-15 minutes on long trips- the rate was still more than sufficient, so max high charging generally not a big issue for me personally. Now as we move more to the future where increasing numbers of apartment dwellers without at home EVSE hook-ups need access to said charging stations to do basic charging that rate issue might indeed get more pertinent.
 
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Sorry to read this, I did exactly the same as you for Christmas 1 week after getting my CT4S and it was flawless charging. IONITY not working surprises me as we used it all the way there and back and it never missed a beat. We even went over to Italy for a few days.

I had done a lot of prep on ABRP before getting the car so knew that Reims to Calais was always going to be the pinch point especially with negative temps. I used the Tesla St Quentin as a last stop heading back towards the Eurotunnel as Fastned St Hilaire Cottes hadn't opened then, it opened briefly in January but closed again until mid-March. That stretch is most in need of South to North additions.

The rate at which France is opening fast chargers at motorway services is incredible so by Easter the journey will be significantly easier, south of Troyes every services has a minimum of 4x175kw chargers, they Tweeted this around December 20th.

It is worth checking open Tesla chargers too as they're not always on the PCM or the other charging apps, Megeve has some up around where you were and if going to the Tarentaise Albertville has a brand new supercharger site with c.16 x 250 about 30kms past the last IONITY.

Hopefully that's your bad trip out of the way, we all know we're going to have one at some point. I'm far more fearful about driving to Scotland than I am of going to France!
Thanks for the feedback, here and in other posts.

Good suggestion about calling Ionity when it didn’t work. I feel foolish about not thinking to try that. I guess I thought it was a local problem but appreciate they can probably restart these things remotely. Or maybe they would have told me I just needed to just wait 10 mins for some reason?

Yes, I need to consider more apps, and using Tesla, and since the trip have had a look around and see there is a wealth of info on plugshare. Will definitely use that.

It is encouraging that chargers are being added so quickly. I’m sure it will be a breeze when there are more about, and from comments it seems there are more around than I realised, and I just need to familiarise myself further with the apps.

Did my 25 mile trip to work today in Sport mode and really enjoying the car again :)

Am adding a couple pics of the car in the alps. Not the greatest spot! Should have taken one in the snow, but had already left the resort and the snow was already sparse even 5 mins out. Been a warm February!!

Porsche Taycan Taycan CT 4S road trip - UK to French Alps - charging issues and advice 813A24EF-3C37-48C3-AE47-9149F73707CA


Porsche Taycan Taycan CT 4S road trip - UK to French Alps - charging issues and advice A30ED0A6-1B5B-4C9E-B9EC-A8DFBC7F54BB


Porsche Taycan Taycan CT 4S road trip - UK to French Alps - charging issues and advice 2F57F336-C2EA-43FC-AD30-A98EDA346917
 

BJCanadaMax

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Got my Taycan CT 4S two weeks before planned trip to French Alps for half term. We drove, but had some bad luck and trouble with charging, some of which could perhaps have been avoided with better planning, but not all, and wanted to share here so others don't suffer the same mistakes.

Decided to follow the car Sat Nav with charge planning, to keep things simple. All motorway fast chargers through France had been working perfectly. 15 mins passes very fast. We didnt mind the stops, and the dogs loved the extra quick walks.

At one station which had reported 5/6 available we arrived to find 4 of the 6 chargers fenced off and building work underway. Luckily one was free, and we edged through a gap in the fence and parked sideways alongside building material and charged at 230kW..

Real problem was with the last one. 10.30pm with 1hr left to drive we arrived at Ionity Bonneville. All chargers showing as free and online. I was able to easily activate and "start" the process as per other Ionity chargers, but instead of the normal click and reassuring buzz from both the charge tower and the nearby electrical cabinets behind the fences there was just silence... and then after a few seconds a message on Ionity screen saying "Charging is delayed until power is available". Then the car says charging failed. I tried 4 of the posts before giving up. There was no-one to ask at the cafe area which was closed, and the normal petrol pumps were all self-service. I seem to remember we had 11% SOC charge, and 1 more hour drive to go up into the mountains. I figured out that if I drove another 20 mins (slowly) in the wrong direction to where we were trying to go I could reach another fast charger, but would then have to double back, and I was worried about running out of charge completely.

The Porsche app was not showing other fast options, so I pulled out my Shell ReCharge app, to see if there were any other chargers nearby, and I found a 50kW DC charger in a nearby town, so headed that way. Eventually found it in a car-park at a truck rental company, but it wasn't 50kW at all. It was 24kW DC, and actually charged at 18kW. We had to just rest in the car for 90mins to get the charge needed, and then eventually reached the resort at 3am...

On the way back to the UK, all the chargers were fine, until the car directed us to a 300kW charger at Fastned Aire de Saint Hilaire Cottes, our last stop before Calais. When we arrived we found the chargers present, and seemingly powered up, but completely fenced off and surrounded by diggers and construction work as a new covering was being erected for people to park underneath.... Sunday, no-one around, and no way to reach the actual chargers. This time, I double checked the apps, and the Porsche app said 0/4 available. But who is to know if that means just a queue - it was Feb half term after all, and last fast charger before Calais - or that they not actually reachable? And if the 0/4 was meaning to say not available at all, why does the car add it into the route...

Again, without enough charge to get to Calais we set off again, knowing we'd be routed elsewhere. This time we were directed 15 mins into the countryside to a little town, and a big shiny 150kw charge in a Lidl car park. Arrived with 4% SOC. But it would not start. Porsche card, Shell card, credit card. I scanned the QR code and it opened a website. Bingo "click here to charge", only to then be told the charger is "already in use". I tried the whole process a few times. With cable connected, disconnected, tried charger 1 and 2, made no difference, just kept saying the charger is already in use, when clearly it as not. No phone number on the unit to call for help / advice.

Alongside in the same car park was another slightly rusty looking box, with no screen, just a red and green button, and a QR code. I scanned the code, got to the same website, clicked "start charge" and it asked for payment details. Entered these, and then it fired up. Little door unlocked which let me attached my cable from the boot and I was charging. 10.4kW. I suspect it was a 22kW AC charger but I only had the 150kW option selected on my car, so maxes out at 11kW on AC, I believe. Another 45 mins on that charger then off to Calais to a faster charger before Eurotunnel check in. We were late, and had been bumped to another train, so another 2 hour delay.

Turns out there are fast EVGenie chargers the Eurotunnel in Calais (had used before elsewhere on trip - cant remember if Porsche or Shell card). Am thinking I could have limped there slowly directly from the Fastned charger, but who knows.... Something I would double check if it happened again.

Have been trying to figure out the lessons learned, which are probably this.
1. Car is awesome, really.
2. Infrastructure is not really there yet, for long trips. Enough went wrong to suggest it is safer to expect that something will.
3. For when it does, perhaps the 22kW AC charger option is a good one for the car. These chargers appear to be in every little town, and will halve your pain if you are forced to use one. Shell and Porsche apps show loads of these everywhere, and we saw loads of them too when looking out.
4. Regarding the Porsche Charge Planner, don't follow it blindly. Check which charger it is suggesting, and if not showing as 1 or more chargers currently available it may not be working at all (rather than just busy). I'm not sure which app is best to check to then know if it actually working/available, but maybe someone can suggest this? Naturally this checking is hard to do if driving... I've seen various posts about a little planning, and using ABRP (which I have used, but not "live" whilst driving), so I accept one should not just follow the planner.

I'm really hesitant to conclude that picking chargers where you still have enough charge to reach the next fast charger (if it doesnt work) is what is needed. This would mean charging more often and more slowly if having to not go below 20% or 30% SOC; and also complicated planning to work out back-up chargers. And it would not have helped us on the way to the Alps where the last fast charger didn't work - a detour or a slow charger was our only option. Rather, it seems one has to accept something can go wrong, and have the right apps, and 22kW option to mitigate this when it does?

I think when the infrastructure is more mature, with more chargers out there, it will be a breeze. If one stops at a charge station with 12% SOC to find that its not working, one should be able to just get back on the highway and reach the next fast charger within 50km. I don't mind the stops, or even queues. The problem is when they further apart than that, and one has to work out where to go, then detour from your route, and end up in a slow charger somewhere else...

Maybe there are some other fast charger networks that I am unaware of, but I was relying on the car and the Porsche charging network. But any suggestions of other networks that would have given access to more fast chargers would be appreciated??

All in all, trip was spoiled by the surprises, the extra time / delays and effort that was required to plan and solve the problems as they arose.

Great car, but feel I will need a week or two to get excited about it again.
Got my Taycan CT 4S two weeks before planned trip to French Alps for half term. We drove, but had some bad luck and trouble with charging, some of which could perhaps have been avoided with better planning, but not all, and wanted to share here so others don't suffer the same mistakes.

Decided to follow the car Sat Nav with charge planning, to keep things simple. All motorway fast chargers through France had been working perfectly. 15 mins passes very fast. We didnt mind the stops, and the dogs loved the extra quick walks.

At one station which had reported 5/6 available we arrived to find 4 of the 6 chargers fenced off and building work underway. Luckily one was free, and we edged through a gap in the fence and parked sideways alongside building material and charged at 230kW..

Real problem was with the last one. 10.30pm with 1hr left to drive we arrived at Ionity Bonneville. All chargers showing as free and online. I was able to easily activate and "start" the process as per other Ionity chargers, but instead of the normal click and reassuring buzz from both the charge tower and the nearby electrical cabinets behind the fences there was just silence... and then after a few seconds a message on Ionity screen saying "Charging is delayed until power is available". Then the car says charging failed. I tried 4 of the posts before giving up. There was no-one to ask at the cafe area which was closed, and the normal petrol pumps were all self-service. I seem to remember we had 11% SOC charge, and 1 more hour drive to go up into the mountains. I figured out that if I drove another 20 mins (slowly) in the wrong direction to where we were trying to go I could reach another fast charger, but would then have to double back, and I was worried about running out of charge completely.

The Porsche app was not showing other fast options, so I pulled out my Shell ReCharge app, to see if there were any other chargers nearby, and I found a 50kW DC charger in a nearby town, so headed that way. Eventually found it in a car-park at a truck rental company, but it wasn't 50kW at all. It was 24kW DC, and actually charged at 18kW. We had to just rest in the car for 90mins to get the charge needed, and then eventually reached the resort at 3am...

On the way back to the UK, all the chargers were fine, until the car directed us to a 300kW charger at Fastned Aire de Saint Hilaire Cottes, our last stop before Calais. When we arrived we found the chargers present, and seemingly powered up, but completely fenced off and surrounded by diggers and construction work as a new covering was being erected for people to park underneath.... Sunday, no-one around, and no way to reach the actual chargers. This time, I double checked the apps, and the Porsche app said 0/4 available. But who is to know if that means just a queue - it was Feb half term after all, and last fast charger before Calais - or that they not actually reachable? And if the 0/4 was meaning to say not available at all, why does the car add it into the route...

Again, without enough charge to get to Calais we set off again, knowing we'd be routed elsewhere. This time we were directed 15 mins into the countryside to a little town, and a big shiny 150kw charge in a Lidl car park. Arrived with 4% SOC. But it would not start. Porsche card, Shell card, credit card. I scanned the QR code and it opened a website. Bingo "click here to charge", only to then be told the charger is "already in use". I tried the whole process a few times. With cable connected, disconnected, tried charger 1 and 2, made no difference, just kept saying the charger is already in use, when clearly it as not. No phone number on the unit to call for help / advice.

Alongside in the same car park was another slightly rusty looking box, with no screen, just a red and green button, and a QR code. I scanned the code, got to the same website, clicked "start charge" and it asked for payment details. Entered these, and then it fired up. Little door unlocked which let me attached my cable from the boot and I was charging. 10.4kW. I suspect it was a 22kW AC charger but I only had the 150kW option selected on my car, so maxes out at 11kW on AC, I believe. Another 45 mins on that charger then off to Calais to a faster charger before Eurotunnel check in. We were late, and had been bumped to another train, so another 2 hour delay.

Turns out there are fast EVGenie chargers the Eurotunnel in Calais (had used before elsewhere on trip - cant remember if Porsche or Shell card). Am thinking I could have limped there slowly directly from the Fastned charger, but who knows.... Something I would double check if it happened again.

Have been trying to figure out the lessons learned, which are probably this.
1. Car is awesome, really.
2. Infrastructure is not really there yet, for long trips. Enough went wrong to suggest it is safer to expect that something will.
3. For when it does, perhaps the 22kW AC charger option is a good one for the car. These chargers appear to be in every little town, and will halve your pain if you are forced to use one. Shell and Porsche apps show loads of these everywhere, and we saw loads of them too when looking out.
4. Regarding the Porsche Charge Planner, don't follow it blindly. Check which charger it is suggesting, and if not showing as 1 or more chargers currently available it may not be working at all (rather than just busy). I'm not sure which app is best to check to then know if it actually working/available, but maybe someone can suggest this? Naturally this checking is hard to do if driving... I've seen various posts about a little planning, and using ABRP (which I have used, but not "live" whilst driving), so I accept one should not just follow the planner.

I'm really hesitant to conclude that picking chargers where you still have enough charge to reach the next fast charger (if it doesnt work) is what is needed. This would mean charging more often and more slowly if having to not go below 20% or 30% SOC; and also complicated planning to work out back-up chargers. And it would not have helped us on the way to the Alps where the last fast charger didn't work - a detour or a slow charger was our only option. Rather, it seems one has to accept something can go wrong, and have the right apps, and 22kW option to mitigate this when it does?

I think when the infrastructure is more mature, with more chargers out there, it will be a breeze. If one stops at a charge station with 12% SOC to find that its not working, one should be able to just get back on the highway and reach the next fast charger within 50km. I don't mind the stops, or even queues. The problem is when they further apart than that, and one has to work out where to go, then detour from your route, and end up in a slow charger somewhere else...

Maybe there are some other fast charger networks that I am unaware of, but I was relying on the car and the Porsche charging network. But any suggestions of other networks that would have given access to more fast chargers would be appreciated??

All in all, trip was spoiled by the surprises, the extra time / delays and effort that was required to plan and solve the problems as they arose.

Great car, but feel I will need a week or two to get excited about it again.
not surprised. still only having my Mini SE. waiting for CT allocation. yeah. long trips need a 911. i think that i am only going risk 250 km round trip with the CT. and always top up.
 

Scandinavian

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It is encouraging that chargers are being added so quickly. I’m sure it will be a breeze when there are more about, and from comments it seems there are more around than I realised, and I just need to familiarise myself further with the apps.
There are quite a few apps that are easy to use and have great filters to show alternative stations.

ABRP is very good for planning a trip and can easily filter out only Ionity stations or chargers above 250 kW, for a trip. Sometimes this means driving back on yourself to reach a station! But reliable.

The other app that is great to use to find suitable chargers around you is ChargeFinder. Again very easy to set both networks and also charging power.

Both these apps can also show you just the Tesla chargers Open to all. Just as a backup if needed. And the Tesla installations in most cases are a huge number of chargers 16 to 28 units in one place!! But that requires that the car is optioned with the 150 kW option.
 

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There are quite a few apps that are easy to use and have great filters to show alternative stations.

ABRP is very good for planning a trip and can easily filter out only Ionity stations or chargers above 250 kW, for a trip. Sometimes this means driving back on yourself to reach a station! But reliable.

The other app that is great to use to find suitable chargers around you is ChargeFinder. Again very easy to set both networks and also charging power.

Both these apps can also show you just the Tesla chargers Open to all. Just as a backup if needed. And the Tesla installations in most cases are a huge number of chargers 16 to 28 units in one place!! But that requires that the car is optioned with the 150 kW option.
Last week France had 1,850 Tesla chargers, plugs not sites, and 1,037 were open to all EVs so while it’s ‘only’ 150 it still adds a lot of charge in 20mins. It makes Tesla a very real option in France, assuming you have the 150kw upgrade.

Porsche Taycan Taycan CT 4S road trip - UK to French Alps - charging issues and advice 1676971677972

This was Albertville in December. It’s in a huge shopping complex next to the N90 so it’s easy to head off and find something to eat or buy. I added 50kwh (60%) in 20-25mins there. It’s in the PCM now.
 

bxwatso

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Thanks for the detailed write up. I have a 23' 4S CT that I would like to run through the Colorado mountains but due to stories like yours I am holding off till the weather warms up. Plus, I would say our charging infrastructure lags even behind yours. I flat out don't trust EA to get me anywhere.
I have a cabin that is 150 miles away and 3200' above my permanent residence. I may be able to make it in the summer but no chance in the winter, especially with the way I drive. There are EA stations on the way but I don't trust any of them. When the tesla network opens up I will feel much more comfortable with that trip, lot more options for when things do go wrong.
Do you have any pics of your car in the Alps??
I, too, have a '23 4S CT; in Denver, so I hope this helps. I just did a trip from Denver to Vail and back. I drove in a normal fashion with the heat on, so I could have stretched more range, but I didn't buy a Taycan to suffer through. It is a 200-mile roundtrip, so you might think it could be done on a single charge - not even close.

I left at 100% charge and preheated. I arrived in Vail (101 miles driven) with about 120 miles of range remaining. That same afternoon, after skiing, it said the same range when I left for Denver. But, the trip planner quickly said I need to charge in Georgetown.

Knowing the Frisco charger was free of charge (EA), I pulled into there instead. Well, the snowplows had piled snow up around two of the chargers, making them basically unavailable to a sedan-type car, one was broken, and there was a line for the other. On to Georgetown. The ChargePoint chargers there were in perfect shape and all were available. I think I only got about 45KW, even though the battery had preheated (nice job trip-planner). I had to tap my phone with the app open BEFORE plugging in, FYI. It's a dirt parking lot, and there was a shifty fellow walking around for no apparent reason.

In short, it can be done without much trouble, although in winter cold weather and in the mountains, your reliable range when driving fast and in comfort is about half of the advertised nominal range.
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