Porsche Wall Charger Connect | Unbox & Install

[satchurator]

Has the shorter cable been an issue and has the unit been trouble-free for you?

Cable length has been fine based on my PWCC position and location / orientation of the driver’s side charging port on my Taycan. However, if I put a Macan EV on the other side of the garage, the cable won’t be long enough if the car is nose-in, and will maybe/barely reach if it’s tail-in (based on what I’ve seen of the charge port location in spyshots). My wife will never want to reverse in so I will probably still need to get a second EVSE to cover that.

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[spicyypenguin]

Nice! I like the cleaner look of no visible conduit. Is there a knockout at the back of the unit to pull in the THHN wire from the junction box? Could I trouble you to take a picture of the inside of the unit?

It looks like I need a T25 screwdriver with a really short shaft to take the front panel off. Unfortunately I don't have anything that short in my toolkit but If I can find one around the house, I can definitely get some pictures for you.

In the meantime, here's some photos of the unit before installation. There isn't a "knockout" in the back, but there are 2 openings (looks kinda like vents) that can accommodate rear entry into the unit. This is where I would assume the wires entered.

 

[satchurator]

In the meantime, here's some photos of the unit before installation. There isn't a "knockout" in the back, but there are 2 openings (looks kinda like vents) that can accommodate rear entry into the unit. This is where I would assume the wires entered.

There are two ‘wells’, top and bottom in the case/chassis, whose depth is flush with the rear surface. The bottom one is slightly better in terms of working space, clearance for routing the supply cable.

Your electrician would holesaw through that, and then run your supply cable through the hole from behind, perhaps surrounded by conduit, or a sleeve ring. Then on up to those terminals just visible on the circuit board at the middle.

The PWCC comes with a nice package of joint compound - installer is expected to seal the casing on the inside, around the supply cable’s point of entry - against moisture and critters.

 

[buhhy]

Cool, thanks for all the details!

 

[buhhy]

One more question! Does the PWCC charge non-Porsche cars without problems? I saw that some folks had issues with charging non-Porsche cars using the PMCC.

 

[satchurator]

One more question! Does the PWCC charge non-Porsche cars without problems? I saw that some folks had issues with charging non-Porsche cars using the PMCC.

Good question. I’ve not had the opportunity to try. @daveo4EV attributed the PMCC regression to it’s last software update which had near-identical release notes to the last release for the PWCC, so there is some risk that both are affected similarly.

It would be best to hear from another PWCC owner who is on software version 6111 whether they’ve been able to charge a non Porsche EV without issues.

 

[spicyypenguin]

It would be best to hear from another PWCC owner who is on software version 6111 whether they’ve been able to charge a non Porsche EV without issues.

I can perhaps also chime in on this. My fiancé has a BMW 330e - it's not a 100% EV but a PHEV (plug-in hybrid). My PWCC is on version 6111 and she's been able to use it to charge her car without any issues.

 

[markt]

Back in September I purchased the new Porsche Wall Charger Connect, Porsche's new 80A hardwired level 2 EVSE.

I've been upgrading my garage ahead of my CT4 delivery, and have had plenty of time to plan out the PWCC installation. Getting quotes from competent and reliable electricians has been challenging - it took five quotes and multiple ghostings to get to the electrical install which was completed today.

For reasons I'll explain below, I decided to proceed with the mounting portion of the PWCC install myself, leaving the electrical portion to be tackled by a professional.

I'm sharing photos and lessons-learned here so that it might help others plan their installs and/or to show their electrician what's involved in the mounting.

Your Home's Electrical Capacity

It's important to note that in the US, because this is an 80A device, the PWCC needs to be hardwired to a 100A circuit. Your home will need to have enough capacity in its supply amperage to allow your electrician to add a 100A circuit dedicated to the PWCC. If your home has insufficient capacity (e.g. some older construction homes might only have a 100A total supply drop) then you will either need to upgrade your home supply drop to 200A or compromise on a lower amperage EVSE.

Choosing The Mounting Location

Hardwiring to a 100A circuit presents some factors in choosing a mounting location for your PWCC. There might be physical constraints in the routing of heavy gauge supply cable, and proximity to the main panel / cable run length will affect the cost of the project.

It's also worth noting that the PWCC's vehicle cable is 14.8 feet (4.5m) long. Consider the cable's reach. Will you park your Taycan nose-in or nose-out? Will there be another EV sharing the PWCC? Where is the charge port on that car?

In my case, I have a two-car garage and will be using the PWCC primarily for my Taycan, but want to have the option of charging a future second EV on the other side of the garage. This, combined with ease of access for a 100A supply cable means that the ideal mounting point for my PWCC is centered on the rear garage wall.

One bit of self-inflicted complexity - the target mounting location is covered by a Proslat slatwall system. For aesthetics, I want my PWCC mounted flush on top of the slatwall. However, the Proslat slatwall is hollow extruded PVC, with too much flex to support the PWCC. As you'll see, I tackled this by adding plastic spacers/standoffs so that the PWCC could be torqued down nice and tight. Not part of a typical install.

Unboxing

1. The PWCC ships in a large box - approximately 34x15x19 inches.

2. Contents
A cardboard template for locating the wall fasteners.
The PWCC itself and vehicle cable / J-1772 connector.
Owners Manual / Installation Instructions
Warranty
Duct Seal compound.
Envelope containing WiFi SSID, login credentials and MAC addresses for the WiFi, Power Line and vehicle network adapters.
Small bag of parts (some, but not all of what is required for the install).

3. Notable Details About The PWCC Enclosure

The installation instructions require that the supply cable enters the unit via metal conduit. There are two options for the point of entry, left-of-center top and bottom. The electrician is expected to cut at two points: coping saw or knife on the U-shaped breakthrough point on the exterior shell and holesaw through the chassis interior. Hidden beneath the breakthrough area, there is a target divot in the enclosure interior for a holesaw pilot bit.

The PWCC chassis has four screw bosses - 12cm (4.7 inch) hollow pillars that receive the wall fasteners. Other than for reachability with driver/wrench, I don't understand why these bosses were designed to be so high. However it explains why the installation instructions call for very long 200mm (7.9 inch) M8 flat head fasteners. They need to be flat head in order to mate with the provided rubber seals. Metric M8x200mm fasteners are hard to find in the US. The closest US size equivalent is 5/16 inch diameter. In my case, I found very nice fasteners online at McMaster-Carr.

Mounting

Beneath the slatwall, I have 5/8 inch thick gypsum drywall over 16” spaced vertical wooden studs. With the mounting template, I centered the PWCC over a wooden stud, and also drilled for toggle bolts on the sides. I used plastic decking spacers as standoffs to allow a firm but flush seating over the slatwall.

Electrical Install

The electrical install plan was to add a 100A circuit, and run about 40 feet of 2-AWG supply cable from my main panel to a small breaker / disconnect box. And from the disconnect, 3-AWG wire through 1.25" metal conduit into the PWCC. I really appreciated that my electrician was willing to measure carefully for the supply cable point of entry, location of the disconnect enclosure and bending the conduit to have everything visually centered.

Holesaw entry point for the 1.25" metal conduit​

2-AWG Supply Cable Added To Main Panel​

1.25" Metal Conduit With S-Bend Aligned To Center of PWCC Unit​

Breaker/Disconnect As Junction For 2-AWG Supply and 3-AWG Wires to the PWCC​

The Completed Install​

Happy with the result! Now all I need is a Taycan to charge it with! Fingers crossed for delivery before US Thanksgiving.

Lessons Learned

RTFM - I've found that despite providing the PWCC manual, which includes very detailed installation instructions, most of the electricians I engaged for quotes didn't bother to look at it, or didn't catch important details. I recommend you take the time to read and comprehend the Installation Instructions section in order to hold the electrician accountable for quoting and executing on a proper install. You don't want an issue with warranty down the road, or worse - a denied insurance claim due to an electrical install that deviated from the manufacturer's requirements. You should also highlight the mounting hardware needs so that your electrician knows this ahead of the install.

Back in September I purchased the new Porsche Wall Charger Connect, Porsche's new 80A hardwired level 2 EVSE.

I've been upgrading my garage ahead of my CT4 delivery, and have had plenty of time to plan out the PWCC installation. Getting quotes from competent and reliable electricians has been challenging - it took five quotes and multiple ghostings to get to the electrical install which was completed today.

For reasons I'll explain below, I decided to proceed with the mounting portion of the PWCC install myself, leaving the electrical portion to be tackled by a professional.

I'm sharing photos and lessons-learned here so that it might help others plan their installs and/or to show their electrician what's involved in the mounting.

Your Home's Electrical Capacity

It's important to note that in the US, because this is an 80A device, the PWCC needs to be hardwired to a 100A circuit. Your home will need to have enough capacity in its supply amperage to allow your electrician to add a 100A circuit dedicated to the PWCC. If your home has insufficient capacity (e.g. some older construction homes might only have a 100A total supply drop) then you will either need to upgrade your home supply drop to 200A or compromise on a lower amperage EVSE.

Choosing The Mounting Location

Hardwiring to a 100A circuit presents some factors in choosing a mounting location for your PWCC. There might be physical constraints in the routing of heavy gauge supply cable, and proximity to the main panel / cable run length will affect the cost of the project.

It's also worth noting that the PWCC's vehicle cable is 14.8 feet (4.5m) long. Consider the cable's reach. Will you park your Taycan nose-in or nose-out? Will there be another EV sharing the PWCC? Where is the charge port on that car?

In my case, I have a two-car garage and will be using the PWCC primarily for my Taycan, but want to have the option of charging a future second EV on the other side of the garage. This, combined with ease of access for a 100A supply cable means that the ideal mounting point for my PWCC is centered on the rear garage wall.

One bit of self-inflicted complexity - the target mounting location is covered by a Proslat slatwall system. For aesthetics, I want my PWCC mounted flush on top of the slatwall. However, the Proslat slatwall is hollow extruded PVC, with too much flex to support the PWCC. As you'll see, I tackled this by adding plastic spacers/standoffs so that the PWCC could be torqued down nice and tight. Not part of a typical install.

Unboxing

1. The PWCC ships in a large box - approximately 34x15x19 inches.

2. Contents
A cardboard template for locating the wall fasteners.
The PWCC itself and vehicle cable / J-1772 connector.
Owners Manual / Installation Instructions
Warranty
Duct Seal compound.
Envelope containing WiFi SSID, login credentials and MAC addresses for the WiFi, Power Line and vehicle network adapters.
Small bag of parts (some, but not all of what is required for the install).

3. Notable Details About The PWCC Enclosure

The installation instructions require that the supply cable enters the unit via metal conduit. There are two options for the point of entry, left-of-center top and bottom. The electrician is expected to cut at two points: coping saw or knife on the U-shaped breakthrough point on the exterior shell and holesaw through the chassis interior. Hidden beneath the breakthrough area, there is a target divot in the enclosure interior for a holesaw pilot bit.

The PWCC chassis has four screw bosses - 12cm (4.7 inch) hollow pillars that receive the wall fasteners. Other than for reachability with driver/wrench, I don't understand why these bosses were designed to be so high. However it explains why the installation instructions call for very long 200mm (7.9 inch) M8 flat head fasteners. They need to be flat head in order to mate with the provided rubber seals. Metric M8x200mm fasteners are hard to find in the US. The closest US size equivalent is 5/16 inch diameter. In my case, I found very nice fasteners online at McMaster-Carr.

Mounting

Beneath the slatwall, I have 5/8 inch thick gypsum drywall over 16” spaced vertical wooden studs. With the mounting template, I centered the PWCC over a wooden stud, and also drilled for toggle bolts on the sides. I used plastic decking spacers as standoffs to allow a firm but flush seating over the slatwall.

Electrical Install

The electrical install plan was to add a 100A circuit, and run about 40 feet of 2-AWG supply cable from my main panel to a small breaker / disconnect box. And from the disconnect, 3-AWG wire through 1.25" metal conduit into the PWCC. I really appreciated that my electrician was willing to measure carefully for the supply cable point of entry, location of the disconnect enclosure and bending the conduit to have everything visually centered.

Holesaw entry point for the 1.25" metal conduit​

2-AWG Supply Cable Added To Main Panel​

1.25" Metal Conduit With S-Bend Aligned To Center of PWCC Unit​

Breaker/Disconnect As Junction For 2-AWG Supply and 3-AWG Wires to the PWCC​

The Completed Install​

Happy with the result! Now all I need is a Taycan to charge it with! Fingers crossed for delivery before US Thanksgiving.

Lessons Learned

RTFM - I've found that despite providing the PWCC manual, which includes very detailed installation instructions, most of the electricians I engaged for quotes didn't bother to look at it, or didn't catch important details. I recommend you take the time to read and comprehend the Installation Instructions section in order to hold the electrician accountable for quoting and executing on a proper install. You don't want an issue with warranty down the road, or worse - a denied insurance claim due to an electrical install that deviated from the manufacturer's requirements. You should also highlight the mounting hardware needs so that your electrician knows this ahead of the install.

 

[markt]

Hi. I am clearly quite naive regarding all of the issues related to charging an electric vehicle. I have a Taycan GTS scheduled for delivery on 11/11/22. I ordered the PMCC but did not select the 19.2 kw on board charger option as part of my build. In view of the current issues with the PMCC and to take advantage of the shorter charging times, I am very interested in ordering the Porsche Wall Charger Connect (currently on backorder). It is not clear to me if the 19.2 on board charger that you can option during the original build is simply the PWCC or if it represents a hardware/software option that has to be installed at the factory to allow the vehicle to use a PWCC. In other words, if I didn’t elect this option during the build, can I still purchase and take full advantage of a PWCC when available and install it as outlined in this thread. The PWCC setups demonstrated in this thread look absolutely perfect to me. Let me know. Thanks.

 

[W1NGE]

Hi. I am clearly quite naive regarding all of the issues related to charging an electric vehicle. I have a Taycan GTS scheduled for delivery on 11/11/22. I ordered the PMCC but did not select the 19.2 kw on board charger option as part of my build. In view of the current issues with the PMCC and to take advantage of the shorter charging times, I am very interested in ordering the Porsche Wall Charger Connect (currently on backorder). It is not clear to me if the 19.2 on board charger that you can option during the original build is simply the PWCC or if it represents a hardware/software option that has to be installed at the factory to allow the vehicle to use a PWCC. In other words, if I didn’t elect this option during the build, can I still purchase and take full advantage of a PWCC when available and install it as outlined in this thread. The PWCC setups demonstrated in this thread look absolutely perfect to me. Let me know. Thanks.

The 19.2kW AC onboard option relates to the hardware option physically built into the car and replaces the standard 11kW AC onboard charger.

It can be retrofitted after your car's delivery but is significantly more expensive to do than if factory fitted.

The PWCC is a completely separate thing independent of the car.

Depending on your home setup (electrical supply to your EVSE / PWCC) then the maximum power you could deliver to your car would be 9.6kW (11kW). If you option the 19.6kW onboard option for the car then you can (home setup permitting) take full advantage of that.

 

[whitex]

Hi. I am clearly quite naive regarding all of the issues related to charging an electric vehicle. I have a Taycan GTS scheduled for delivery on 11/11/22. I ordered the PMCC but did not select the 19.2 kw on board charger option as part of my build. In view of the current issues with the PMCC and to take advantage of the shorter charging times, I am very interested in ordering the Porsche Wall Charger Connect (currently on backorder). It is not clear to me if the 19.2 on board charger that you can option during the original build is simply the PWCC or if it represents a hardware/software option that has to be installed at the factory to allow the vehicle to use a PWCC. In other words, if I didn’t elect this option during the build, can I still purchase and take full advantage of a PWCC when available and install it as outlined in this thread. The PWCC setups demonstrated in this thread look absolutely perfect to me. Let me know. Thanks.

• The 19.2KW option is for the car onboard charger. It increases the maximum power the car can utilize to charger from AC from 11KW to 19.2KW. Again, this is the maximum the car can intake for AC charging (DC is different).
• PMC+/PMCC EVSE provide up to 9.6KW (half that with the latest software update). PWCC EVSE provides up to 19.2KW.
• Your car will charge at the lower of the two numbers, your EVSE max or your car (onboard charger) max.

So without the 19.2KW option if you install PWCC on a 100A circuit, your car will charge at 11KW. If you upgrade your car to 19.2KW, it will be able to fully utilize the PWCC and charge at 19.2KW.

 

[markt]

• The 19.2KW option is for the car onboard charger. It increases the maximum power the car can utilize to charger from AC from 11KW to 19.2KW. Again, this is the maximum the car can intake for AC charging (DC is different).
• PMC+/PMCC EVSE provide up to 9.6KW (half that with the latest software update). PWCC EVSE provides up to 19.2KW.
• Your car will charge at the lower of the two numbers, your EVSE max or your car (onboard charger) max.

So without the 19.2KW option if you install PWCC on a 100A circuit, your car will charge at 11KW. If you upgrade your car to 19.2KW, it will be able to fully utilize the PWCC and charge at 19.2KW.

Thanks for the clarification of this issue. Your responses are what I thought was true but I wanted to have those suspicions confirmed. It looks like I should stay with the PMCC or, at most, consider the ClipperCreek HCS-60 48 amp EVSE given the expense of adding the onboard 19.2kw hardware, the PWCC, as well as the cost for a 100 amp breaker. I would note that, in retrospect, my sales agent was unfortunately not well informed regarding the various charging options and, therefore relative to this forum, did a poor job of educating me on my options. He also recommended the 150kw/400v DC charger which I now have been made aware is of almost no use if Porsche owners do not get access to Tesla charging stations. Live and learn. Again, thanks to all of you for taking the time to inform our community.

 

[daveo4EV]

installing an EVSE is for your current and future EV - future EV's may be able to utilize higher capacity EVSE's - so install what you can/decide, but in two years when you bring home a Ford F-150/Rivian/LucidAir/MacanEV w/19.2 kW charging it will be able to use the full capacity even though your 11 kW Taycan could not…

install it once, don't look back, and be ready for the future.

a well made EVSE will work with _ANY_ standard EV - so this is a resource for your entire garage - not just your Taycan.

an 80 amp breaker with 64 amp charging capacity and a ClipperCreek HCS-80 (w/share 2 capability) is a great example of a robust/flexible/compatible and future looking EVSE install - the share2 feature will let you "add" a 2nd HCS-80 in the future that will share the 80 amp load while charging 2 EV's at the same time…and still give "full" capacity while charging a single EV.

because once you have one EV - you're going to have another…there is more EV in your future - not less.

 

[daveo4EV]

Thanks for the clarification of this issue. Your responses are what I thought was true but I wanted to have those suspicions confirmed. It looks like I should stay with the PMCC or, at most, consider the ClipperCreek HCS-60 48 amp EVSE given the expense of adding the onboard 19.2kw hardware, the PWCC, as well as the cost for a 100 amp breaker. I would note that, in retrospect, my sales agent was unfortunately not well informed regarding the various charging options and, therefore relative to this forum, did a poor job of educating me on my options. He also recommended the 150kw/400v DC charger which I now have been made aware is of almost no use if Porsche owners do not get access to Tesla charging stations. Live and learn. Again, thanks to all of you for taking the time to inform our community.

I've benefited the 400V/150 kW onboard charger a few times, but not a lot - it's a cheap option and good insurance for the future.

Tesla will have superchargers open to non-Tesla's in North America - there are already 4 new sites (60+ stalls at each) that are required to offer at least 50% of the stalls for non-Tesla's as part of the funding assistance grants…

there is going to be more of this in the future - not less…so given the low cost and potential time savings the 400V/150 kW option in my opinion is one of the easiest options to add…one never wants to wait 3x longer to charge while on a road trip…

 

[W1NGE]

Thanks for the clarification of this issue. Your responses are what I thought was true but I wanted to have those suspicions confirmed. It looks like I should stay with the PMCC or, at most, consider the ClipperCreek HCS-60 48 amp EVSE given the expense of adding the onboard 19.2kw hardware, the PWCC, as well as the cost for a 100 amp breaker. I would note that, in retrospect, my sales agent was unfortunately not well informed regarding the various charging options and, therefore relative to this forum, did a poor job of educating me on my options. He also recommended the 150kw/400v DC charger which I now have been made aware is of almost no use if Porsche owners do not get access to Tesla charging stations. Live and learn. Again, thanks to all of you for taking the time to inform our community.

Knowledge is king here and sadly doesn't reside with most if any dealers.

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