Poll - did you get the Power Charge Port and would you change if you could?

Did you get the Power Charge Port and would you change if you could?


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BruceF

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I have been debating the Power Charge Port so thought I would create a poll. If you feel strongly one way or the other please comment with details in addition to answering the poll.
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4SJB

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Hi Bruce
The powered charging port was something that I thought I didn’t need, but was the only thing I added after submitting my order with the dealer.
It is just a little bit of theatre that I just had to have.
Once she saw it working, my wife could see no reason not to have it too.
It’s something unique.
 
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BruceF

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Hi Bruce
The powered charging port was something that I thought I didn’t need, but was the only thing I added after submitting my order with the dealer.
It is just a little bit of theatre that I just had to have.
Once she saw it working, my wife could see no reason not to have it too.
It’s something unique.
Thanks Jonathan for the feedback :)
 

wmras

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I have been debating the Power Charge Port so thought I would create a poll. If you feel strongly one way or the other please comment with details in addition to answering the poll.
Others have commented that self-closing is its best feature - I agree.
 
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KensingtonPark

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As the lone "would not get it again," (so far), I thought that I would explain that it is not a strong opinion. To me, the self-closing is a nice feature, but I really don't think that I would miss the power charge port if I didn't have it. I lock the car in my garage, and when I want to plug in the car I have on multiple occasions realized that I have to go get my key in order to open the door to plug it in. So there have been times that I wished that I could have simply opened the door; I don't know, however, that I would have been able to open the manual charge door in this circumstance without the key either. It's fine, it's just not a "must have" option for me.
 


Reg

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I like it, so does my wife. Sure, it is a gimmick, but it is a cool gimmick.

edit: " It breaks up the lines of the car"

This is one of the reasons I got it. To provide some visual thing that breaks up the same color expanse of the side. Same reason I got the black underside to the side view mirrors (vs. them being the same color)

As far as delay, I open it as I walk to the charger, get the charger plug in, easy peasy.
 
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BruceF

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As the lone "would not get it again," (so far), I thought that I would explain that it is not a strong opinion. To me, the self-closing is a nice feature, but I really don't think that I would miss the power charge port if I didn't have it. I lock the car in my garage, and when I want to plug in the car I have on multiple occasions realized that I have to go get my key in order to open the door to plug it in. So there have been times that I wished that I could have simply opened the door; I don't know, however, that I would have been able to open the manual charge door in this circumstance without the key either. It's fine, it's just not a "must have" option for me.
Thanks @KensingtonPark - I appreciate the detail. I had not considered that.

For those that don't have it - are you able to open the manual port and plug the charger in without unlocking the car?

While I am fine leaving the car unlocked in my garage where I expect both types of port could be opened - I expect the Taycan has an auto lock feature when you leave the car. I like that feature for when I am away from home so would not want to disable it.

Also for the poll question in general - there is a good discussion on this on the thread:

https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/threads/basic-spec-4s-what-options-are-a-must-have.2296/

At the risk of over analyzing this (and showing I am spending way too much time on it) I thought I would list all the different factors that I have seen that weigh one way or the other. It is a much larger list than you might think and hopefully this thread is helpful to lots of future buyers. I am including everything I have seen - some of which may be trivial but I thought it would be good to have a full list for completeness.

Reasons I have heard to get the Power Charge Port Door (aka auto close door...):

* Auto close is very handy - @daveo4EV gave a great description of that in the thread mentioned above and re-affirmed that after owning the car for a month in some other thread. This is the best reason I have read so far and probably why I will choose it (thank you @daveo4EV) .

* Cool Factor

* It blocks the vent from the tires which if open might allow rocks to get flung up by tires and hit the side of the car - so even though it makes the vent look fake there is some value in avoiding possible rock chips to the door paint.

* Porsche says it is a "recommended feature" - has anyone asked why?

* Not very expensive to get as an option (for a Porsche)

* If you are pushing on the manual charge port daily it will be a finger print magnet and more prone to scratches/wear over the years.

* The manual charge port door sticks out a lot (more than a typical ICE gas port). If you have family (kids) going through the garage I can see that, while they will take extra care around the car, it will be the thing that sticks out that gets damaged....

*The manual door might get in the way of a short charge cable at a fast DC charger. I read somewhere those cables can be short and if there are other cars you may not have much flexibility where to park and the charge port on the Taycan is set somewhat back from the front of the car. Has this been an issue for anyone without the power charge port door?

*Resale - it could be something people want on resale and given it is a relatively cheap option it could actually pay for itself on resale.

Reasons not to have the Power Charge Port Door that I have thought of or read about:

* It breaks up the lines of the car - particularly for lighter colors (of course this is personal taste - some may prefer it). This is really what has me debating the most - I am ordering Cherry Metallic which is a darker color - but having no opportunity to see it ahead of time is why I am not yet certain of my choice.

* I have never had an auto door on an ICE car and never missed it. Granted the frequency of charging with a Taycan may be more - but the action is still similar. That said so far I favor @daveo4EV position on this personally.

* The delay opening it could be a little annoying (on our Tesla M3P which has a similar function it sometimes does not auto open and you have to open the car door to wake the car up then press a button on the charge cable to open it and that at least can get a little fiddley/annoying). Porsche seems much better but once the cool factor wears off if it does not work 100% as expected then I could see swiping a couple times and waiting for the door may seem over-complicated for what should be a simple function.

*Concern that one day it won't open when you get to a Rapid DC Charger when traveling...any one else worried about this?

*While a cheap option to buy - it is one more mechanical thing that could break down the road that will probably cost a lot to fix and require taking off body panels, etc. And given you use it every day I could see that becoming an issue particularly for the first couple model years.

*The Power Charge Port door option comes with a change the blocks the vents - if those vents are functional then you lose that function if you get the power charge port door (at least to some degree - though in post by @Gogs in the above thread it sounds like some air flows through it). We know the Turbo S has worse range and it has the power charge port as standard. It would be great to know if the vents being clear has any impact on range or if it really is just the 21" tires that make the Turbo S have a shorter range. For me - I am more concerned with rock chips coming from the wheel wells so while I don't like fake looking vents in general, in this case I actually prefer the vent being blocked (assuming it does not drastically reduce the range).

*Possible benefit of being able to plug the charger in without having the key if the car auto-locks in your garage - still need to hear if this is a actual difference from an owner of a Taycan without the power charge port door (New one for my list - thanks @KensingtonPark)

For those taking the poll - if any of these are the main reason for you please comment. Or if there are any other pluses or minuses I did not cover please let us know.

Thanks
-Bruce
 

snstevens

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Bruce -

First, let me say that I think your attention to input from others and the research you've done is admirable (and I liked reading the list of pros and cons above). Obviously this is important to you so you've put some thought into it. That said, I think you're overanalyzing this.

The only real question about whether to buy this sort of automation is reliability - does it do what it's supposed to do every time without fail.

My experience is that the automatic charge port door is very reliable and has never failed me. Given all the other "very important" factors (e.g., coolness, uniqueness, sexiness, impress your wife-ness, amazingness) I think the decision is somewhat obvious.

Order it.
 
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BruceF

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Bruce -

First, let me say that I think your attention to input from others and the research you've done is admirable (and I liked reading the list of pros and cons above). Obviously this is important to you so you've put some thought into it. That said, I think you're overanalyzing this.

The only real question about whether to buy this sort of automation is reliability - does it do what it's supposed to do every time without fail.

My experience is that the automatic charge port door is very reliable and has never failed me. Given all the other "very important" factors (e.g., coolness, uniqueness, sexiness, impress your wife-ness, amazingness) I think the decision is somewhat obvious.

Order it.
Hello Sam,

Thank you for the follow up note in this.

In the end I removed the Automatic Power Port cover from my build just before it locked. The deciding factor for me was that I just like the way the lines of the car look better without it. I struggled with the question a lot because as you and many others have said - if you just look at functionality and cost it is almost a no-brainer to get it. And of course how it looks is a matter of personal taste so if someone is neutral about the way it looks or likes it then I agree you should go for it.

In retrospect I was probably over analyzing this (which I agree I was doing) because it made so much sense to get it but from an esthetic perspective I thought I would like the car better without it.

For others out there in the situation I was in - I will say that now that my car is locked, I don’t have any regrets on my decision.
 
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snstevens

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Hello Sam,

Thank you for the follow up note in this.

In the end I removed the Automatic Power Port cover from my build just before it locked. The deciding factor for me was that I just like the way the lines of the car look better without it. I struggled with the question a lot because as you and many others have said - if you just look at functionality and cost it is almost a no-brained to get it. And of course how it looks is a matter of personal taste so if someone is neutral about the way it looks or likes it then I agree you should go for it.

In retrospect I was probably over analyzing this (which I agree I was doing) because it made so much sense to get it but from an esthetic perspective I thought I would like the car better without it.

For others out there in the situation I was in - I will say that now that my car is locked, I don’t have any regrets on my decision.
You should always trust your gut.

Enjoy that car!
 

gasman93

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I have been debating the Power Charge Port so thought I would create a poll. If you feel strongly one way or the other please comment with details in addition to answering the poll.
I did not get it and wish I had. I have inadvertently left the charge port door open after charging in my garage. There is no warning light (as with doors) that indicates the port door was left open. Thankfully, my garage is large enough that I did not knock off the door while backing out.
 

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I didn't get it, on the basis that I've never forgotten to close the cover on an ICE car. Also it apparently blocks the airflow from the front wing and I think the manual cover looks cleaner.

Having said that, unplugging the charger and for me at least messing around getting it into the bag (that's the wrong shape) is for sure a more involved process than finishing at a petrol pump, so I can see there's more likelihood of forgetting.
 

Burak

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I think it is a must have option, just like the passenger screen. They are both unique to taycan, and very nice entertaining gimmicks. Relative to the msrp of the vehicle, they are very reasonable and when you think about resale, one will most likely to choose auto cover for sure.
 

Mouse House

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The only option that is going to make a significant difference to resale value is the bigger battery for the 4S.
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