Help on home charging stations

[Bre72]

Hi I have just placed my order for a 4s (Q1 22 delivery though?) and would appreciate any insight on a couple of point please.

1. Home charging stations ( phase 1) from what I understand they are principally the same - are there any makes you would recommend or avoid?

2. I have ordered the public cable and the 150kw dc booster just in case - does this make sense?

any insight appreciated thanks Mark

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[ccooke01]

Hi Mark,

You can use the Porsche Mobile Charger Plus at home, you will require a dedicated 32amp circuit with a blue 32amp commando socket, this will provide 7.4Kw charge, which is the fastest you can achieve in the UK on single phase power.

You can install a third party charger at home which again will require a dedicated circuit again these can deliver 7.4Kw.

When I ordered my 4S I wasn’t aware the supplied charger could deliver 7.4Kw at home, therefore I had a Roltec installed outside which is fine, however if I had known I would have just stuck with the Porsche Charger instead.

The key is to have a dedicated circuit which will ensure you can achieve the fastest possible charge at home.

Carl.

 

[Bobby]

Hi I have just placed my order for a 4s (Q1 22 delivery though?) and would appreciate any insight on a couple of point please.

1. Home charging stations ( phase 1) from what I understand they are principally the same - are there any makes you would recommend or avoid?

2. I have ordered the public cable and the 150kw dc booster just in case - does this make sense?

any insight appreciated thanks Mark

@ccooke01 is correct with his advice.

It also depends if you use one of the suppliers who offer cheap rate electricity for EV charging. I am using the Octopus Energy Go Faster rate. This gives you upto 5 hours a day electricity at c.5p per unit (kwH) compared to c.13p per unit for the rest of the day. You will still need to install the 32amp blue commando socket. You can then get a discounted cable from Octopus for £199 which will automatically charge at the lower rate electricity. All works very smoothly for me.

If you use the link below, you will get a £50 credit on your first bill. For transparency, I will also get a £50 referral fee which I donate to the British Heart Foundation.

share.octopus.energy/brave-eve-656

 

[Bre72]

Hi Mark,

You can use the Porsche Mobile Charger Plus at home, you will require a dedicated 32amp circuit with a blue 32amp commando socket, this will provide 7.4Kw charge, which is the fastest you can achieve in the UK on single phase power.

You can install a third party charger at home which again will require a dedicated circuit again these can deliver 7.4Kw.

When I ordered my 4S I wasn’t aware the supplied charger could deliver 7.4Kw at home, therefore I had a Roltec installed outside which is fine, however if I had known I would have just stuck with the Porsche Charger instead.

The key is to have a dedicated circuit which will ensure you can achieve the fastest possible charge at home.

Carl.

Thanks Carl for the info I didn’t realise this - I have also been told that the Porsche charger itself will only work indoors - I need to be able to charge outside so assuming this rules out this option. I have looked at shell new motion as well as ohme or zappi - just want to make sure I don’t choose an obvious poor option.

 

[Bre72]

@ccooke01 is correct with his advice.

It also depends if you use one of the suppliers who offer cheap rate electricity for EV charging. I am using the Octopus Energy Go Faster rate. This gives you upto 5 hours a day electricity at c.5p per unit (kwH) compared to c.13p per unit for the rest of the day. You will still need to install the 32amp blue commando socket. You can then get a discounted cable from Octopus for £199 which will automatically charge at the lower rate electricity. All works very smoothly for me.

If you use the link below, you will get a £50 credit on your first bill. For transparency, I will also get a £50 referral fee which I donate to the British Heart Foundation.

share.octopus.energy/brave-eve-656

Thanks for the info yes I plan to look at possible one of the octopus tariffs ( go or agile) the ohme one seems to get good write ups linked to the octopus options. Thanks again

 

[GlasgowTaycanCT]

In addition to the really useful information above, if you have solar panels then a Zappi charger is highly recommended as you as control where the solar energy goes.

 

[elberk]

Thanks Carl for the info I didn’t realise this - I have also been told that the Porsche charger itself will only work indoors - I need to be able to charge outside so assuming this rules out this option. I have looked at shell new motion as well as ohme or zappi - just want to make sure I don’t choose an obvious poor option.

Hi Bre72,
which dealer gave you so much bad advice. Or no at all. The Porsche mobile chargers are outdoor rated with IP55. So that should not be an issue. Additionally the Taycan has charge timers and profiles to push the charge times into the night etc. I don't know if Octopus forces you to buy a specific charger, but maybe the car functionality is enough.

 

[Bre72]

Hi Bre72,
which dealer gave you so much bad advice. Or no at all. The Porsche mobile chargers are outdoor rated with IP55. So that should not be an issue. Additionally the Taycan has charge timers and profiles to push the charge times into the night etc. I don't know if Octopus forces you to buy a specific charger, but maybe the car functionality is enough.

That’s really helpful thanks - I’ll go back and get more info then before making any decisions

 

[Bre72]

In addition to the really useful information above, if you have solar panels then a Zappi charger is highly recommended as you as control where the solar energy goes.

Thanks - no solar panel option but worth knowing

 

[Fish Fingers]

Useful thread as I am in same position - although hopi g to get delivery sooner.

I decided I am going to get the outdoor point fitted.
While there is a grant available it won't be too expensive.

I think the rules to get the grant are that it needs to be an authorised fitter and you need to have your order number - and it be within 3 months of getting car.

I am wondering where the 'order number' comes from and when?
Is it when order is locked?

 

[Bre72]

Useful thread as I am in same position - although hopi g to get delivery sooner.

I decided I am going to get the outdoor point fitted.
While there is a grant available it won't be too expensive.

I think the rules to get the grant are that it needs to be an authorised fitter and you need to have your order number - and it be within 3 months of getting car.

I am wondering where the 'order number' comes from and when?
Is it when order is locked?

Hi Ian I too have looked at home charging options and narrowed it down to pod point - seems a decent all round option, ohme - seems great for flexible tariffs like octopus go or agile but a bit unsightly or potentiall by zappi - the Anderson looks good but expensive for essentially the same thing. Will be interested to know more from you when you decide as you seem further ahead of me re timings. Thanks

 

[W1NGE]

Hi Ian I too have looked at home charging options and narrowed it down to pod point - seems a decent all round option, ohme - seems great for flexible tariffs like octopus go or agile but a bit unsightly or potentiall by zappi - the Anderson looks good but expensive for essentially the same thing. Will be interested to know more from you when you decide as you seem further ahead of me re timings. Thanks

Note that the charger and tariffs used are mutually exclusive. The standard charger you get with the car Porsche Mobile Charger Connect Plus (PMC) or if you paid extra for the Porsche Mobile Charger Connect (PMCC) can be programmed for your off peak / low rate tariff.

Given you are getting a Porsche charger.I don’t think you need to purchase another / different one - they all do the same thing and with the Porsche one you’ll get better overall integration for home charging.

Devices are IP55 rated but if you can suggest adding some shelter if not adding the Porsche Dock.

 

[clivep]

Thanks for the info yes I plan to look at possible one of the octopus tariffs ( go or agile) the ohme one seems to get good write ups linked to the octopus options. Thanks again

I installed the Ohme charger in November ready for delivery of my 4S. It is a "smart" charger which also does not require a wifi signal to be programmed remotely from an app. The big problem with this charger at present is that Porsche have not supplied the API to Ohme (unlike all the competition including Tesla, Jaguar, Volvo, BMW and even VW/Audi!); this allows the smart charger and car to talk to each other. Without it I have found I need to use the car timer/profiles to instruct charging and use the Ohme as a "dumb" charger. As a result it is important to align the Ohme schedules with the car or it may stop providing power and I have also had some problems with the car overcharging beyond the recommended 85% (which I think are Porsche software errors, others have registered this problem). I have just moved to Octopus and Ohme have assured me that they will be able to charge using the tariff cap feature but until I have my SMETS1 meter swapped by Octopus to SMETS2 I cannot test that. Of course if Porsche pulled their finger out with the API, I would have no worries (I have asked the Porsche Dealer in Leeds to feed this back to Germany!).

 

[W1NGE]

I installed the Ohme charger in November ready for delivery of my 4S. It is a "smart" charger which also does not require a wifi signal to be programmed remotely from an app. The big problem with this charger at present is that Porsche have not supplied the API to Ohme (unlike all the competition including Tesla, Jaguar, Volvo, BMW and even VW/Audi!); this allows the smart charger and car to talk to each other. Without it I have found I need to use the car timer/profiles to instruct charging and use the Ohme as a "dumb" charger. As a result it is important to align the Ohme schedules with the car or it may stop providing power and I have also had some problems with the car overcharging beyond the recommended 85% (which I think are Porsche software errors, others have registered this problem). I have just moved to Octopus and Ohme have assured me that they will be able to charge using the tariff cap feature but until I have my SMETS1 meter swapped by Octopus to SMETS2 I cannot test that. Of course if Porsche pulled their finger out with the API, I would have no worries (I have asked the Porsche Dealer in Leeds to feed this back to Germany!).

The car controls the charging and not the charger (charger is actually onboard the car for AC charging).

Therefore profiles & timers can be set directly from the PCM or remotely via My Porsche or Porsche Connect App. No connection to the 'charger' required but if WiFi enabled (such as the Porsche Mobile Charger Connect (PMCC)) then there are further features which may / may not be of value. The Porsche Mobile Charge Plus (PMC) can be connected via an ethernet cable to your home network if needed.

Profiles and timers are sent to the car directly when using any of the remote methods.

There is no software bug and a daily profile with a timer (departure time set) will consistently charge to the set target charge e.g. 80% or 85% (or whatever).

Don't understand why you would choose not to use the Porsche supplied charger in the first instance for home charging - do you have a specific reason for this?

 

[clivep]

The car controls the charging and not the charger (charger is actually onboard the car for AC charging).

Therefore profiles & timers can be set directly from the PCM or remotely via My Porsche or Porsche Connect App. No connection to the 'charger' required but if WiFi enabled (such as the Porsche Mobile Charger Connect (PMCC)) then there are further features which may / may not be of value. The Porsche Mobile Charge Plus (PMC) can be connected via an ethernet cable to your home network if needed.

Profiles and timers are sent to the car directly when using any of the remote methods.

There is no software bug and a daily profile with a timer (departure time set) will consistently charge to the set target charge e.g. 80% or 85% (or whatever).

Don't understand why you would choose not to use the Porsche supplied charger in the first instance for home charging - do you have a specific reason for this?

The charger can control charging if it is intelligent and the Ohme switches on and off to reduce tariff (4.5p/kwh is their best Go tariff); this is particularly important if you are on an Agile tariff where the energy supplier is negotiating wholesale rates real time and passing the savings on to you. The car cannot do this although Porsche offer the Home Energy Manager (and a lot of qualifications) which might achieve it.
I use the App or Porsche Connect for charging timers and profiles, although I have used the PMC too. I have had several overcharges and unless this is because there is no API for the charger it is a software conflict in the car. As I have found and reported several such conflicts to Porsche already (which they have accepted) and at least one was removed after the software update, I am fairly confident this one will be removed eventually. The App is effectively a Beta version and I would encourage everyone to feed back their gripes or it will not be removed. Porsche have told me that they are expecting a major upgrade of the App at some point.

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