Anyone carry around the charge cable that came with the car?

[slothinker]

Carrying the charging cable is a concept in Europe where at most outdoor parking spots and public structures there are AC chargers. However, in Europe, these charging nodes only have a plug receptacle (to cut down the cost of install), which requires each EV owner to bring their own charging plug, charger and cable.

So our charger bag and cable and even the way the PMCC is designed is for mobility. This is useless in the US as our AC chargers at destinations are full pedestals (think Chargepoints, Tesla Destination, etc). I have a separate 16amp charger (Aeroenviroment) that I take on my trips, and I've only used it once at a hotel that had a 120v plug.

here are some random pictures I found of parking structures in Europe, notice all the different color cables is bc each owner brought their own.

Really interesting. I've always packed the charger and cable but I bet I'll never use it. The only thing I could imagine would be somehow ending up at a house that only had 110V current and having no other options. Unlikely, especially with good planning.

I may rethink this and just carry adapters, especially if one ever comes out so that Tesla SuperChargers can be used by Porsche vehicles.

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[joefig44]

I installed mine at my in-laws, 2 hrs north of me in a very rural area, so I can charge there when I visit (usually once every 1-2 months)

 

[Flying ace]

Really interesting. I've always packed the charger and cable but I bet I'll never use it. The only thing I could imagine would be somehow ending up at a house that only had 110V current and having no other options. Unlikely, especially with good planning.

I may rethink this and just carry adapters, especially if one ever comes out so that Tesla SuperChargers can be used by Porsche vehicles.

For your use case, I would just buy a cheap 120/240v charger. It is much more compact than the Porsche version

 

[ChrisLA]

I carry ours in the frunk, only because I've never gotten around to removing it (two years in). ? I've literally never taken the thing out of the bag, never used it. I guess part of me feels it could be useful in an emergency, although it's hard to imagine what that would look like.

 

[daveo4EV]

Just out of interest, does anyone carry around the charge cable that came with the car? I’ve seen pics of the large bag that used to come with the car but I just got the one cable that I guess works with AC chargers. It’s been sat in the boot under the floor and I just can’t see me ever using it. I have a home charger and all the motorway stops in the UK and France all have rapid DV chargers. I guess if you head somewhere a bit remote or a hotel that has overnight charging but not a tethered one but otherwise seems a waste of space. Anyone actually ever had to use it?

in North America it's different - if you encounter an installed EV charging stations it provides it's own cable - the EVSE that comes with the vehicle is only useful if you plan to charge with a bare electrical plug/outlet - which is increasingly rare…

what I do carry with me is a TeslaTap (needed for North America only) which allows me to use NACS/J-3400 L2 chargers at hotels/businesses

the only reason these days to carry a EV cable in North America is if you're planning to charge with raw 240V outlets at cabins/Rv-parks/friends/family…otherwise you'll use other people's EV chargers which have an attached cable with the correct plug-type.

 

[BjörnfromHamburg]

Use the connect plus at home as wallbox, carry the type 2 cable im the frunk and use it on a regular basis at public chargers.
I enjoy leaving again with a higher SoC compared to upon arrival.
One of the perks of EV.

 

[DerekS]

It's too damn big. I carry around a Tesla mobile charger and a TeslaTap.

 

[FlyingPoint]

For your use case, I would just buy a cheap 120/240v charger. It is much more compact than the Porsche version

Exactly what I did. I purchased a Mustart for emergency use. It is very size and weight friendly. Porsche charger is in storage until the car is returned after lease ends.

 

[daveo4EV]

as noted by others - at least for North America - the Porsche EVSE family (PMC, PMC+, PMCC, PUC) is a poor choice as a "mobile" EVSE to carry with you.

• it has a terrible history
• it's big
• it's bulky
• it's heavy
• the PMC, PMC+, PUC has a short charging cable
• has a limited selection of NEMA adapter power supply cables
  • and the ones that are available are pricy (you can get an entire mobile EVSE for what Porsche charges for one 18" NEMA supply cable)
  • Porsche doesn't even offer or support some of the more common NEMA outlet types you're likely to want to use

there are better choices for North American mobile chargers for not a lot of money.

if you're interested in the ultimate "kit" for being an EV road warrior in North America you can consult this thread - https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...and-useful-road-warrior-ev-charging-kit.6812/

although in 2025 "kits" like this are increasingly un-necessary given the proliferation of commerical EV chargers (L2 and DCFast)…

you'll need a spare tire more often than you'll have opportunity to use a mobile charger unless you have a specific use case and know for a fact there are NEMA plugs you'll need to use for charging at your detination or along your route.

my $0.02 YMMV

 

[simcity]

The simple Type 2 cable sits rolled up in the frunk cubbyhole, and gets occasional use for on-street AC charging.

The ‘suitcase’ with the posh Porsche granny charger got taken out the boot on Day 1. It’s been used a grand total of once in 2.5 years ?

 

[anonymouse]

New owners, please don’t be confused by this thread. There are two completely different conversations going on. US and UK/Europe are different in almost every respect - infrastructure (untethered more common in Europe/uk), adapters for tesla superchargers (US only), granny-charger voltage (110v uselessly slow, 240v adequate). We should have done this in two separate threads really.

 

[sbarker108]

Just out of interest, does anyone carry around the charge cable that came with the car? I’ve seen pics of the large bag that used to come with the car but I just got the one cable that I guess works with AC chargers. It’s been sat in the boot under the floor and I just can’t see me ever using it. I have a home charger and all the motorway stops in the UK and France all have rapid DV chargers. I guess if you head somewhere a bit remote or a hotel that has overnight charging but not a tethered one but otherwise seems a waste of space. Anyone actually ever had to use it?

No, not daily, I don't event take it with me on a journey unless it is somewhere remote where I may need to use it.

 

[blame.latitude]

I have never used the porsche charger. i have a home charger setup and for mobile use cases i carry a tesla mobile charger with a tesla tap. The telsa system is small and tight and i have optioned all the possible plug types I might encounter. If I have a 120v wall socket, 10 or 15 amp, a rv plug, a dryer plug, or even a hybrid ford f150 with the pro power option, i can charge my porsche if needed.

 

[f1eng]

I carry the cable just in case. I used to use it every time I went to Oxford parking at the Westgate where the chargers have no cable but they are expensive now and it is cheaper to charge at home so not used much recently.

 

[BigBob]

It's a shame we don't do this here. Would be a great solution in dense urban environments. Just adapt the light poles for charging...

'Light poles' are actually called 'Lamp posts' fyi .

They are a good idea in principle and (apparently) relatively easy to install. In the UK at least, that's where it stops. In London they are extremely slow (3.5 kw/h i think) and not much cheaper than a 150kw charger at a petrol station. Obviously you've then got the lottery of finding a parking space by a lamp post that's fitted with one etc.

Very much underlines my view that EV is a no-go unless you have a driveway.

As for me using the cables, very rarely though i keep it all in the drugs compartment with the EVSE and use occasionally with the commando socket i had fitted at our gaff out in the sticks.

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