Charging a non-Porsche car with the Porsche Mobile Charger Plus

[Zwick]

I've tried searching this up, but no luck. I'm wondering if I can charge a different EV (Polestar in this case) with the Porsche Mobile Charger Plus. I'd like to offer charging to some of my guests when they come to visit.

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[daveo4EV]

if should work- but it's been hit/miss with Porsche's chargers (called an EVSE) - EVSE's are supposed to be agnostic - but sometimes Porsche's North American EVSE has not functioned with non-Porsche EV's...

you'll have to try it out to see if it works.

 

[porsche_coyote]

Works great with both my BMW i3 and my wife's VW ID.4, but I have a feeling that's because they all speak a similar German dialect...

 

[kort]

when I used the porsche evse, I had issues charging my Ipace.
the porsche unit is garbage, I stopped using it and it is relegated to a shelf in the garage, soon to be disposed of

 

[porsche_coyote]

if should work- but it's been hit/miss with Porsche's chargers (called an EVSE) - EVSE's are supposed to be agnostic - but sometimes Porsche's North American EVSE has not functioned with non-Porsche EV's...

you'll have to try it out to see if it works.

Didn't you find that it was technically speaking some weird ISO protocol that wasn't strictly J1772? I seem to recall something like that being related to the issues you saw with charging your Tesla...

 

[daveo4EV]

yeah it talks an ISO protocol which is supposed to be identical to J-1772 - the bigger problem I have is when charging Tesla's it keep's tripping the internal breaker in the PMCC - regardless of how much power the Tesla is configured to draw - even when set as low as 20 amps - it will charge for about 12-30 minutes and then the PMCC's internal breaker will trip - which requires unplugging the entire unit from the NEMA plug and then plug it back in…

I can not speak to any personal experience with the PMC+

but the PMCC unit also had trouble charging a neighbor's F-150 - same breaker trip problem.

there is a new PMCC software update out - I haven't unpacked my PMCC's and applied the update to see if there is any difference - but Porsche's "release notes" do not mention any compatibility updates - but says there is better "monitoring" - frankly I'm so done with Porsche and charging (slow or fast) that I'm moving on to reliable vendors for my EVSE needs…

 

[daveo4EV]

Better Choices for a North American EVSE are (in no particluar order):

• Tesla Universal Wall Charger
• ChargePoint
• Autel
• JuiceBox
• Enphase [formerly ClipperCreek]
• Emphora?
• Wallbox
• throw a rock at anything else and it's better than the Porsche stuff

the Porsche EVSE's are garbage - their only virtue is they are "included" with the vehicle - and other than occasionally melting cheap NEMA sockets seem to work ok for charging VW/Audi/Porsche's

but if you want them to have anythning beyond that you're better off with virtually _ANY_ other EVSE for North America.

 

[DHSMIAMI]

Ive had zero issues charging my Range Rover PHEV with the Taycan charger

 

[daveo4EV]

Ive had zero issues charging my Range Rover PHEV with the Taycan charger

the real issue isn't that it universally fails - it clearly does not universally fail - it's that it is very hit/miss - and these things are so simple there should be "zero issues" - until I owned the Porsche EVSE I never conceived of "compatibility" problems with an EVSE and other EV's

they are not in fact "chargers" - they are glorified extension cords delivering raw AC power - the fact that they work with some EV's and not other's would be like an extension cord working with one brand of power drill (Dewalt) but not another brand of powerdrill (Black and Decker) - that is simply ridiculous because it's just raw AC power that is being delivered…

how Porsche managed to make a J-1772 EVSE "unreliable" boggles the mind - these are frankly about as simple an electronic device as one can encounter - the Ford EVSE provided with my 2011 Ford Focus EV made for Ford by Leviton in 2010 is still doing duty at my friends house from when I gave it to him in 2011 (after returning the Ford EV because it was a lemon). The Leviton unit has been outside in continuous use since 2011 and refuses to die...it "just works" and has worked with all manner of EV for over 12 years of continuous use…

EVSE's are not supposed to be EV specific - they are supposed to be agnostic and simply provide power to the EV when it's requested - the actual charging of hte battery is done by hardware/software embedded in the vehicle…

Porsche's glorified, expensive, big, heavy extension cord only works with some power drills - and knowing ahead of time which ones it will and won't work with _IS THE ISSUE_ - it's not an issue _IF_ it works, but it's an embarassing issue when it doesn't work…because it's not supposed to be that way.

We know it has problems with: Tesla, iPace, some BMW's (not all), and at least one Ford F-150 EV…that's already too many…and to add sauce to the goose Porsche _KNOWS_ their EVSE has problems and does not care!!! And has made no effort to resolve the conflicts.

there is no problem with the Porsche EVSE's right up until there is a problem, and then Porsche has no process or concern to resolve any issues brough to their attention. Same with CCS1 charging/EA…porsche's charging game in North America is weak.

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