Electrify AMERICA - Anyone having trouble getting free charging at the local level?

evanevery

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Ed, I hear ya...but to me that means Option 1.

Garry Crook
"Dragging their feet because they are bleeding" seems to imply some sort a nefarious plan to limit owners access to their pre-paid charging for some sort of a financial gain. That would actually be counter-productive for EA since they should be getting PAID by Porsche any time we activate a pre-paid charge.

I'm talking about nothing more elaborate than simple incompetance and lack of quality control by Porsche.
 

evanevery

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If we really had some "balls" as a community, we would be documenting and preserving all our monthly EA charges and then submitting every last one of them to Porsche for reimbursement.

These are goods/services we paid for and Porsche is not delivering on that agreement. This is potentially class-action stuff.

But again, I'm lazy and value simplicity. So I will just use the EA app as necessary to maintain my fragile sanity and focus on more enjoyable things...
 
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"Dragging their feet because they are bleeding" seems to imply some sort a nefarious plan to limit owners access to their pre-paid charging for some sort of a financial gain. That would actually be counter-productive for EA since they should be getting PAID by Porsche any time we activate a pre-paid charge.

I'm talking about nothing more elaborate than simple incompetance and lack of quality control by Porsche.
I think what VW did was nefarious when they caught! If someone wasn't losing money, but instead making money, charging would be as simple as fueling my F250.

Garry Crook
 
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If we really had some "balls" as a community, we would be documenting and preserving all our monthly EA charges and then submitting every last one of them to Porsche for reimbursement.

These are goods/services we paid for and Porsche is not delivering on that agreement. This is potentially class-action stuff.

But again, I'm lazy and value simplicity. So I will just use the EA app as necessary to maintain my fragile sanity and focus on more enjoyable things...
This is definitely class action stuff!

Garry Crook
 


evanevery

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I think what VW did was nefarious when they caught! If someone wasn't losing money, but instead making money, charging would be as simple as fueling my F250.

Garry Crook
OK, you can be the torch-bearer for that one!

I'll stick with "incompetence and lack of quality control"...
 

lazvek

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If we are lucky enough we will get the Plug and Charge feature that 2021 models are supposed to have as an OTA update and then we would not have to any app.

It looks like Plug and Charge worked for the new Mustang EV.
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a35044132/plug-and-charge-ev-charging-mustang-mach-e/
Now you've touched a nerve. :) I have a 2021 and I can assure you that this "plug and charge" thing appears to be complete fiction. I ended up just paying the 5 bucks to get 28kw so I could safely reach home. The one great thing about the EA chargers is that they are fast when they work.

Laz
 


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Now you've touched a nerve. :) I have a 2021 and I can assure you that this "plug and charge" thing appears to be complete fiction. I ended up just paying the 5 bucks to get 28kw so I could safely reach home. The one great thing about the EA chargers is that they are fast when they work.

Laz

So it did work in terms of initiating the charge session without using a phone, but EA had no clue that you have a free charging plan?
 

lazvek

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So it did work in terms of initiating the charge session without using a phone, but EA had no clue that you have a free charging plan?
I scanned the EA ApplePay pass. They had no clue about the free plan. However, I have a credit card on file and they charged it. It was $.32 per minute and I was close to 70% SOC after 15 minutes.

I'll try the other apps next time and see what happens.
 

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Although some folks have reported good results by calling EA support, I'm curious what app they were trying to use when they failed to get a charge activated?

- If you are using a Porsche App and can't get a charge started then I expect calling EA support might very well be able to get it going.

- However, in my experience, if I couldn't get a charging session started using the EA app, then neither could EA tech support.

I would always go to the EA App before calling EA tech support (as its generally pretty time consuming).

I will also add that Porsche Roadside Assistance is NEVER going to be able to help you get a charging session started. They simply don't have any access/control to the infrastructure. If you call them, they will tell you to call EA.
My EA experience is batting about 50% for working on the first try, using the CA app. One location usually works on the first try. Others have never worked without a call to EA to get them to initiate the charge remotely. In one case the app wouldn’t link to the charger, due to the EA location having poor cell service. Was able to make a call however, with one “bar,”and EA booted it up.

EA has always been courteous and responsive in my experience. Forget calling Porsche.

Looking forward to a software update with “plug and play,” as all this app stuff is a real pain. Especially hate having to log in each time I use the CA app.
 

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Sheesh. What a pain in the ass! It shouldn't be this difficult or complicated to charge your Taycan on a road trip. I've ordered my 4S for March delivery and I hope they've got their shit together by then.
 

evanevery

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My EA experience is batting about 50% for working on the first try, using the CA app. One location usually works on the first try. Others have never worked without a call to EA to get them to initiate the charge remotely. In one case the app wouldn’t link to the charger, due to the EA location having poor cell service. Was able to make a call however, with one “bar,”and EA booted it up.

EA has always been courteous and responsive in my experience. Forget calling Porsche.

Looking forward to a software update with “plug and play,” as all this app stuff is a real pain. Especially hate having to log in each time I use the CA app.
Sheesh. What a pain in the ass! It shouldn't be this difficult or complicated to charge your Taycan on a road trip. I've ordered my 4S for March delivery and I hope they've got their shit together by then.
Folks really need to separate the "Porsche Problems" from the "Electrify America" problems. (Porsche has far more issues than EA)

If all you've tried is the Porsche Apps, do your self a favor and try the EA app before you make that next call to EA Tech support. (It costs you NOTHING to set yourself up with an EA account and have the app available).

Its not EA's fault the Porsche software is crappy, unreliable, and basically useless. The EA app has worked quite well for me as long as there wasn't some major hardware problem at the station which wouldn't be resolvable in any case.

Try the EA app.

(I also strongly agree that calling Porsche Roadside Assistance (because you can't get a charge started with their software) has absolutely no chance of providing you any success. They have zero access to the infrastructure to remotely enable the charging process. They are simply going to tell you to call EA...)
 

r553

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I have had similar experiences at my EA station at the nearby Sam's Club. For most of last fall I was getting free charging sessions while EA underwent an equipment upgrade, just plug and charge. After the EA equipment upgrade at the 350 KW terminal I would get the Charging NA " unexpected error" message. I would then call EA and brow beat them into giving me a free charging session. Yesterday I plugged into the 150 KW terminal and got the Charging America "unexpected error" message. As I tried to initiate another session the app said I already had a charging session underway and looking in the car at the charging screen lo and behold the car was charging away. Not more than 60 KW but what the heck. I did not realize there was a time constraint after plugging in and then initiating Charging America charging session. I also discovered the Charging America app has a charging status screen too which is useful to monitor what is going on after the car goes to sleep and its charging screen goes blank. Charging at home is much less problematic but I'm hell bent to get the "free" charging included with our car purchase. Prior to this charging session Porsche advised me to restart my iPhone, remove and re-install Charging America App which I did.
At one of my charging sessions a Jaguar iPace driver was trying to initiate his charging session to no avail. We are not alone with charging teething troubles.
 

evanevery

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I have had similar experiences at my EA station at the nearby Sam's Club. For most of last fall I was getting free charging sessions while EA underwent an equipment upgrade, just plug and charge. After the EA equipment upgrade at the 350 KW terminal I would get the Charging NA " unexpected error" message. I would then call EA and brow beat them into giving me a free charging session. Yesterday I plugged into the 150 KW terminal and got the Charging America "unexpected error" message. As I tried to initiate another session the app said I already had a charging session underway and looking in the car at the charging screen lo and behold the car was charging away. Not more than 60 KW but what the heck. I did not realize there was a time constraint after plugging in and then initiating Charging America charging session. I also discovered the Charging America app has a charging status screen too which is useful to monitor what is going on after the car goes to sleep and its charging screen goes blank. Charging at home is much less problematic but I'm hell bent to get the "free" charging included with our car purchase. Prior to this charging session Porsche advised me to restart my iPhone, remove and re-install Charging America App which I did.
At one of my charging sessions a Jaguar iPace driver was trying to initiate his charging session to no avail. We are not alone with charging teething troubles.
Did you try the EA app? Your issues might not have been with EA at all. There was a point where the Porsche Charging NA app would even let you select a 350KW charger at all! They simply didn't hook up the buttons properly in the app. (This was resolved in the October update). This problem was purely a Porsche issue...

On the rare occasions when I have actually been able to get either of the Porsche Apps to initiate a charging session... It has also occasionally kicked me out with a "Session Terminated" message. However, when you look down at the charging info on the center console it actually showed the car WAS still charging!

IOW: If you manage to get one of the Porsche apps to start a session, don't assume it has stopped just because the app tells you it has. Wait a minute or so and check the charging info on your lower console. You might still be charging...
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