Manual (unpowered) charge port questions

[Tsingtao]

I ended up not optioning it, and don't regret it.

Here's the dominant reason why I felt the manual option was the way to go for the Taycan:

Unlike Tesla, where automatic means that you can use the charging handle to open the charge port and hence truly have "one handed operation", the automatic Taycan charge port needs to be activated via button press on the car itself. By the time I reach for the tab to open the charge port, I might as well just open it myself. Similarly, fast charging has that stupid extra tab that you have to open manually with your hand anyway - so it's "tap tab to open automatically, wait, open flap manually, plug in" vs. "push charge door to open, open flap manually, plug in". Didn't seem like it's worth the trouble.

Other factors I considered:
- In a car plagued by software bugs, this is one thing I don't need to worry about working. (there are in fact people reporting issues on the automatic one...)
- As you pointed out, the aerodynamics.
- I prefer the cleaner look without the black "tab" (subjective, I know - and many folks prefer the look with it)

The only part that I like about the motorized charge port cover: it looks cool when opening...

One other factor that I and probably other forgetful manual port cover owners have likely contemplated: at what theoretical speed would the force of the wind against the open port door close it?

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[whitex]

One other factor that I and probably other forgetful manual port cover owners have likely contemplated: at what theoretical speed would the force of the wind against the open port door close it?

I don't think anyone forgot to ask. Since the car warns you about an open charge door before you drive off, does it matter? AFAIK Taycan does not have automatic door closing, so do you know at what acceleration or speed will the passenger doors close if you forget to close it?

 

[f1eng]

In the 54 years I have owned, driven and refuelled cars I have never had a motorised filler flap.
I'm not pissing away almost 500 quid on one now.

 

[Fish Fingers]

Slightly off topic but.....

I specced manual port covers on my Ice Grey Taycan saloon.

If I was ordering again I would go for automatic as the cars front doors are getting very dirty in the English Autumn (damp/grey/leaves) with all the road muck passing through the vents.

If I had gone with a colour that shows less dirt (say Neptune) I would stick with manual ports.

 

[Jhenson29]

In the 54 years I have owned, driven and refuelled cars I have never had a motorised filler flap.

I don’t know why, but I read that as “flipper flapper” and it was hilarious. ?

 

[epirali]

Slightly off topic but.....

I specced manual port covers on my Ice Grey Taycan saloon.

If I was ordering again I would go for automatic as the cars front doors are getting very dirty in the English Autumn (damp/grey/leaves) with all the road muck passing through the vents.

If I had gone with a colour that shows less dirt (say Neptune) I would stick with manual ports.

Yes and have the joy of having one half open stuck port that won't allow the other side to open either and yet can't open or close the half stuck side, so can't charge in either direction!

Mine did that, then decided to work, then decided to get stuck, then at the dealer it started to work. I am ok washing my car!

 

[Fish Fingers]

I don’t know why, but I read that as “flipper flapper” and it was hilarious. ?

Popular with the ladies 'motorised flipper flappers'

 

[Swissbob]

In the 54 years I have owned, driven and refuelled cars I have never had a motorised filler flap.
I'm not pissing away almost 500 quid on one now.

Good for you. Because if you had you wouldn’t buy another car without one

 

[Bry5on]

I’ll take less lift for -$500 please, Alex.
Manual doors here

 

[Skilly]

Ex Tesla driver, went manual, regularly forget to close it. If I could have my time again I would definitely get the powered option. It’s just a pain getting the red light, having to stop, get out, close it etc.

This, exactly this.

It has nothing to do with whether you regularly forget your gas cap on an ICE car. Drove a Tesla for 2 years where this was completely automated - the removal of the plug at EA chargers is really a two hand exercise (unlike a fuel nozzle), and that its on the passenger side (for NA cars). It just further adds to it being overlooked.

 

[whitex]

I just realized that the power charge port still has a manual DC charge cover, which if you forget to close it manually, will cause the automatic charge port to fail on close. While I totally love the Tesla self closing charge port, and I've been driving Teslas long enough to remember the manual charge ports (2013 Model S), given that there is still a required manual step to close the DC part of the CCS connector, and (important) the fact that the car will warn me if I leave the charge port open, that makes the automatic door a lot less useful. Combine it with the blocked air-scarf vents, I decided to change my build to manual charge port doors (even though I live in rain country). Perhaps I will investigate a powered mod which does not block the air-scarf vents just for fun (there is some mechanical design involved, and hacking the Porsche software, but yea, I have weird hobbies like that - as my wife would say I am "crazy like that" - she coined that when one of our friends came over and was shocked when I had a then brand new, $130K car taken apart in our garage only few days after delivery installing a radar/laser detector/jammer and a dashcam solution on my then brand new car - looked worse than it was, since both bumpers were removed, as was a bunch of the interior).

 

[W1NGE]

In the 54 years I have owned, driven and refuelled cars I have never had a motorised filler flap.
I'm not pissing away almost 500 quid on one now.

But you get two for the price of one - ICE you only get one - live a little!

 

[whitex]

But you get two for the price of one - ICE you only get one - live a little!

But only one is fully automatic though, the DC charging part still requires manual open/close (of the DC pins cover). To be honest, it seems like an oversight on Porsche designers part, why have an automatically opening port if you have to open another flap manually, and why bother with auto-closing if you first have to manually close the flap inside. Then again, the motorized port blocking the air-scarf vent suggests that it was probably a last minute addition anyways, rather than a planned out feature, and when you add things last minute, you often have to compromise. ?‍

 

[W1NGE]

But only one is fully automatic though, the DC charging part still requires manual open/close (of the DC pins cover). To be honest, it seems like an oversight on Porsche designers part, why have an automatically opening port if you have to open another flap manually, and why bother with auto-closing if you first have to manually close the flap inside. Then again, the motorized port blocking the air-scarf vent suggests that it was probably a last minute addition anyways, rather than a planned out feature, and when you add things last minute, you often have to compromise. ?‍

Flap Is for safety as it is dual purpose AC/DC mandated by some Eurocrat - could be better engineered as the spring sometimes sticks.

Air scarf is hype IMHO and it apparently is more of an afterthought given the potential for stones etc to pass through and chips doors.

 

[whitex]

Flap Is for safety as it is dual purpose AC/DC mandated by some Eurocrat - could be better engineered as the spring sometimes sticks.

Porsche is known for thorough engineering. They claim to have driven the Taycan design millions of miles in different climates during testing, hence my suspicion that the powered port was an afterthought (or they would have caught the flap problem in testing).

Air scarf is hype IMHO and it apparently is more of an afterthought given the potential for stones etc to pass through and chips doors.

The air scarf is carried over to the eTron RS as well (based on Taycan platform), so I'm thinking if it was just hype, they had plenty of opportunity to take it out as it was designed after Taycan.

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