Road Trip Planning Guide (Recommendations from a 1400 mile trip in two travel days)

[Scandinavian]

What are suitable alternatives for route planning and navigation using the PCM or CarPlay apps like Google Maps, Maps.Me etc.?

I recently tested Roads by Porsche but it’s Porsche app... again...

One of the best apps for planning a trip with an EV is A Better Route Planner , ABRP. Unfortunately it is not working with Apple CarPlay. There is a Premium version for about 50 Euro per year. This will then show you the status for most HPC. It works very well for me in France, Italy and Switzerland.

I am sure Maps and Google Maps will improve their service a lot, once more EVs are on the road. The PCM navigation in the car is of zero use. You can be parked at an Ionity charger and it will not show it!

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[MaKin]

Thanks for your input. It’s a freaking shame that software quality is that awful at VAG. Incredible.

I am looking for a smooth way to plan scenic routes like the ones curated in the “Roads by Porsche” app. Thinking about rebuilding those roads in Google Maps and use it with CarPlay. But there’s a limit of 10 waypoints/destinations.

In the German Porsche forum I stumbled upon a post in which a user described a semi-elegant way by using Google MyMaps and exporting the route file to Maps.Me which has a CarPlay integration as well.

 

[evanevery]

What are suitable alternatives for route planning and navigation using the PCM or CarPlay apps like Google Maps, Maps.Me etc.?

I recently tested Roads by Porsche but it’s Porsche app... again...

ABRP is pretty much the accepted standard for Travel Planning with any EV. The Porsche stuff is pretty useless. They don't even supply a method to plan a trip until you actually sit down in the car! ...and by that time its much too late and you leave yourself in the hands of the onboard Porsche Nav system which will certainly set you up for major disappointment.

See the Original Posting in this thread...

 

[LonePalmBJ]

If you are going to use the PMCC with different plugs, you are likely going to need some adapters. The thing to understand about adapters is that while you can step down a 4-prong 220V socket to a 3-pring plug, you CAN NOT step up a 3-Prong socket to a 4-prong plug (as there is no neutral).

I can attest that this is not true; I spent the last week happily charging my car from my mother's three-prong NEMA 10-30P 220V dryer outlet using my PMCC. I used this $30 adapter and it worked beautifully. I even made a little tag for the adapter to remind me to set the charging current to 24A since the 10-30 is on a 30A circuit. Worked like a charm. The charging rate wasn't amazing - about 5.2kW - but it worked flawlessly.

Brent

 

[evanevery]

I can attest that this is not true; I spent the last week happily charging my car from my mother's three-prong NEMA 10-30P 220V dryer outlet using my PMCC. I used this $30 adapter and it worked beautifully. I even made a little tag for the adapter to remind me to set the charging current to 24A since the 10-30 is on a 30A circuit. Worked like a charm. The charging rate wasn't amazing - about 5.2kW - but it worked flawlessly.

Brent

Yup, I know those exist. You will have many more options available if you have a charger with a 3-prong plug (NEMA 6-50) on it though. There is no magic required, no artificial limitations, no legal disclaimers, etc.

You will note the product disclaimer "ONLY for Tesla UMC or Other EV Charging" as that adapter is not generally acceptable for any other types of service. These are bastardized conversions with limited and very specific use. Plugging anything other 4-prong device into this adapter could very well damage it or simply be unsafe at the least. Sure, it will work for this specific purpose, and not to say I wouldn't make one myself if I had to...Conversely, I would rather lop off the 4 prong plug on my PMCC if I had one and replace it with a NEMA 6-50 3-prong plug. That way, at least I could be sure that the only device I'm taking the neutral line away from didn't actually need it.

Look further back in this thread to where I stated this more completely. "Generically", you shouldn't do that to the electrical circuit. Its not electrically sound and reliable. Sure, you CAN physically do it, and someone else CAN produce a mass market adapter, but its still not a generically compliant adapter.

You are much better off speccing your PMCC with a NEMA 6-50 connector and then getting a 6-50p to 14-50r adapter as that is perfectly acceptable in all electrical appliances. As such, they are easier to find, and generally cheaper... You will also be able to find a whole bunch more "generic" adapters for other socket types if you are not breaking any of the rules...

With full discosure: I see that the Amazon description claims your adapter has a UL rating which actually surprises me!

 

[wmras]

I can attest that this is not true; I spent the last week happily charging my car from my mother's three-prong NEMA 10-30P 220V dryer outlet using my PMCC. I used this $30 adapter and it worked beautifully. I even made a little tag for the adapter to remind me to set the charging current to 24A since the 10-30 is on a 30A circuit. Worked like a charm. The charging rate wasn't amazing - about 5.2kW - but it worked flawlessly.

Brent

Good move adding the warning tag. A 30A to 50A receptacle adapter will work but is not to electrical code or UL approved in the US.

If your flawless charger never accidentally increases current, you will be safe. If not, pray for a blown circuit breaker instead of a building fire.

It is safer to spend the money and use a charger input cable with a plug that matches your receptacle.

 

[Redders]

Convert your Charger Addresses so your Porsche understands they are actually charging stations (not just a mailbox). Go into your car and pull up each "favorite" in the Nav system. Even though it is the EXACT address of a charging station, you will have to select the option to "Find Nearby Charging Stations" and then select "Porsche Charging Services". Once you have done this, you can mark THAT EXACT SAME NEW address as a "favorite" and discard the original one you sent from the web. (If you don't do this, the Porsche Nav system may inexplicably route you to some OTHER charger miles away from the one you were right next to! As long as your "favorites" are known to be charging locations then the Nav system SHOULD use them as a charging stop (and also pre-warm your battery for optimum charging speed at arrival).

Hi @evanevery, thanks for this informative post. I’ve followed your suggestions up to the point where I need to convert charger addresses. Have you found some sort of ‘Vulcan nerve pinch’ to unlock a hidden menu or am I missing something obvious? Perhaps the PCM is different in the USA. I’m in the UK.

 

[evanevery]

Hi @evanevery, thanks for this informative post. I’ve followed your suggestions up to the point where I need to convert charger addresses. Have you found some sort of ‘Vulcan nerve pinch’ to unlock a hidden menu or am I missing something obvious? Perhaps the PCM is different in the USA. I’m in the UK.

Its all about those "three little dots"...

Once your identify your downloaded 'favorite' in the PCM/Nav, you now have to click on the three little dots on the right side of its entry. Then select "Nearby charging stations" and then "Porsche Charging Service". Once the SAME address is displayed, make that a NEW favorite and delete the original one. Hope this helps...

 

[Redders]

Hi @evanevery, thanks for this informative post. I’ve followed your suggestions up to the point where I need to convert charger addresses. Have you found some sort of ‘Vulcan nerve pinch’ to unlock a hidden menu or am I missing something obvious? Perhaps the PCM is different in the USA. I’m in the UK.

Thanks, from what you’ve said it appears that the issue I’m facing is with the Porsche Charging Service database. At about 35 seconds into the video you’ll see the search results that appeared after the ‘three button menu search’ showing chargers that the car knows about that are closest to my ‘Fourwentways’ saved favourite. The closest result is Bedford Lodge hotel, which is 17 miles away. If Porsche added all the possible charging stations then I can see the system would work.
Many thanks for you input.

 

[evanevery]

Thanks, from what you’ve said it appears that the issue I’m facing is with the Porsche Charging Service database. At about 35 seconds into the video you’ll see the search results that appeared after the ‘three button menu search’ showing chargers that the car knows about that are closest to my ‘Fourwentways’ saved favourite. The closest result is Bedford Lodge hotel, which is 17 miles away. If Porsche added all the possible charging stations then I can see the system would work.
Many thanks for you input.

Note that there will be difference in what is displayed depending on what type of chargers you ask to be listed. Asking for the "Porsche Charging Service" only shows chargers that included in the Porsche Payment Network.

 

[evanevery]

Note that there will be difference in what is displayed depending on what type of chargers you ask to be listed. Asking for the "Porsche Charging Service" only shows chargers that included in the Porsche Payment Network.

IOW: If the address you are trying to convert is NOT a charger in the Porsche network, then just select the option to find "any" nearby charger...

 

[Redders]

IOW: If the address you are trying to convert is NOT a charger in the Porsche network, then just select the option to find "any" nearby charger...

My problem here in the UK is that stations installed by significant players such as Shell (for example) are not found when searching for ‘any nearby chargers’ (they are missing from the search returns). It would be advantageous if charging points that the driver knows about could be added manually as ‘charger favourites’ to the car’s memory. This must also be an issue for those with fast charging capacity at work etc...

 

[evanevery]

My problem here in the UK is that stations installed by significant players such as Shell (for example) are not found when searching for ‘any nearby chargers’ (they are missing from the search returns). It would be advantageous if charging points that the driver knows about could be added manually as ‘charger favourites’ to the car’s memory. This must also be an issue for those with fast charging capacity at work etc...

Yup, that would be helpful!

Bear in mind that NOT EVEN the chargers the database KNOWS ABOUT can be identified by their exact address. Stupid software forces us to "find nearby chargers" even for chargers that ARE in the database.

When I haven't done this, stupid software has tried to reroute me to another charger 30 miles away even though I specifically had a stop planned at the very address where there was a charger (...and it was in the database).

We are so covered with stupidity in the software that I think "enhancements" (like being able to designate your own address as a charger) are pretty far down the "likely" list...

None of this really matters much ("fueling" stops) if you are driving an ICE as stations are so easily found. But for an EV, this is critical if you wish to do a road trip...

Big fail for Porsche here!

 

[feye]

Evanevery,
I think this is a wonderful letter to all new Taycan owners! I love my car, but did not understand the trade-offs of ownership. Thank you very much for the work you put into this letter!
RonMcG

Very US specific, though!

 

[feye]

Preach. I can't stand apologists for the Porsche software ecosystem. It's absolute dogshit no matter what you're coming from, but a total failure if you are familiar with Tesla. Charging on the EA network is supposed to be improved in the coming year for us, but man oh man do they need to poach some folks from silicon valley to make proper software.

Not my experience, the software so far in my Taycan is better than in my MS90D.

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