cantwait
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Got my Taycan CT 4S two weeks before planned trip to French Alps for half term. We drove, but had some bad luck and trouble with charging, some of which could perhaps have been avoided with better planning, but not all, and wanted to share here so others don't suffer the same mistakes.
Decided to follow the car Sat Nav with charge planning, to keep things simple. All motorway fast chargers through France had been working perfectly. 15 mins passes very fast. We didnt mind the stops, and the dogs loved the extra quick walks.
At one station which had reported 5/6 available we arrived to find 4 of the 6 chargers fenced off and building work underway. Luckily one was free, and we edged through a gap in the fence and parked sideways alongside building material and charged at 230kW..
Real problem was with the last one. 10.30pm with 1hr left to drive we arrived at Ionity Bonneville. All chargers showing as free and online. I was able to easily activate and "start" the process as per other Ionity chargers, but instead of the normal click and reassuring buzz from both the charge tower and the nearby electrical cabinets behind the fences there was just silence... and then after a few seconds a message on Ionity screen saying "Charging is delayed until power is available". Then the car says charging failed. I tried 4 of the posts before giving up. There was no-one to ask at the cafe area which was closed, and the normal petrol pumps were all self-service. I seem to remember we had 11% SOC charge, and 1 more hour drive to go up into the mountains. I figured out that if I drove another 20 mins (slowly) in the wrong direction to where we were trying to go I could reach another fast charger, but would then have to double back, and I was worried about running out of charge completely.
The Porsche app was not showing other fast options, so I pulled out my Shell ReCharge app, to see if there were any other chargers nearby, and I found a 50kW DC charger in a nearby town, so headed that way. Eventually found it in a car-park at a truck rental company, but it wasn't 50kW at all. It was 24kW DC, and actually charged at 18kW. We had to just rest in the car for 90mins to get the charge needed, and then eventually reached the resort at 3am...
On the way back to the UK, all the chargers were fine, until the car directed us to a 300kW charger at Fastned Aire de Saint Hilaire Cottes, our last stop before Calais. When we arrived we found the chargers present, and seemingly powered up, but completely fenced off and surrounded by diggers and construction work as a new covering was being erected for people to park underneath.... Sunday, no-one around, and no way to reach the actual chargers. This time, I double checked the apps, and the Porsche app said 0/4 available. But who is to know if that means just a queue - it was Feb half term after all, and last fast charger before Calais - or that they not actually reachable? And if the 0/4 was meaning to say not available at all, why does the car add it into the route...
Again, without enough charge to get to Calais we set off again, knowing we'd be routed elsewhere. This time we were directed 15 mins into the countryside to a little town, and a big shiny 150kw charge in a Lidl car park. Arrived with 4% SOC. But it would not start. Porsche card, Shell card, credit card. I scanned the QR code and it opened a website. Bingo "click here to charge", only to then be told the charger is "already in use". I tried the whole process a few times. With cable connected, disconnected, tried charger 1 and 2, made no difference, just kept saying the charger is already in use, when clearly it as not. No phone number on the unit to call for help / advice.
Alongside in the same car park was another slightly rusty looking box, with no screen, just a red and green button, and a QR code. I scanned the code, got to the same website, clicked "start charge" and it asked for payment details. Entered these, and then it fired up. Little door unlocked which let me attached my cable from the boot and I was charging. 10.4kW. I suspect it was a 22kW AC charger but I only had the 150kW option selected on my car, so maxes out at 11kW on AC, I believe. Another 45 mins on that charger then off to Calais to a faster charger before Eurotunnel check in. We were late, and had been bumped to another train, so another 2 hour delay.
Turns out there are fast EVGenie chargers the Eurotunnel in Calais (had used before elsewhere on trip - cant remember if Porsche or Shell card). Am thinking I could have limped there slowly directly from the Fastned charger, but who knows.... Something I would double check if it happened again.
Have been trying to figure out the lessons learned, which are probably this.
1. Car is awesome, really.
2. Infrastructure is not really there yet, for long trips. Enough went wrong to suggest it is safer to expect that something will.
3. For when it does, perhaps the 22kW AC charger option is a good one for the car. These chargers appear to be in every little town, and will halve your pain if you are forced to use one. Shell and Porsche apps show loads of these everywhere, and we saw loads of them too when looking out.
4. Regarding the Porsche Charge Planner, don't follow it blindly. Check which charger it is suggesting, and if not showing as 1 or more chargers currently available it may not be working at all (rather than just busy). I'm not sure which app is best to check to then know if it actually working/available, but maybe someone can suggest this? Naturally this checking is hard to do if driving... I've seen various posts about a little planning, and using ABRP (which I have used, but not "live" whilst driving), so I accept one should not just follow the planner.
I'm really hesitant to conclude that picking chargers where you still have enough charge to reach the next fast charger (if it doesnt work) is what is needed. This would mean charging more often and more slowly if having to not go below 20% or 30% SOC; and also complicated planning to work out back-up chargers. And it would not have helped us on the way to the Alps where the last fast charger didn't work - a detour or a slow charger was our only option. Rather, it seems one has to accept something can go wrong, and have the right apps, and 22kW option to mitigate this when it does?
I think when the infrastructure is more mature, with more chargers out there, it will be a breeze. If one stops at a charge station with 12% SOC to find that its not working, one should be able to just get back on the highway and reach the next fast charger within 50km. I don't mind the stops, or even queues. The problem is when they further apart than that, and one has to work out where to go, then detour from your route, and end up in a slow charger somewhere else...
Maybe there are some other fast charger networks that I am unaware of, but I was relying on the car and the Porsche charging network. But any suggestions of other networks that would have given access to more fast chargers would be appreciated??
All in all, trip was spoiled by the surprises, the extra time / delays and effort that was required to plan and solve the problems as they arose.
Great car, but feel I will need a week or two to get excited about it again.
Decided to follow the car Sat Nav with charge planning, to keep things simple. All motorway fast chargers through France had been working perfectly. 15 mins passes very fast. We didnt mind the stops, and the dogs loved the extra quick walks.
At one station which had reported 5/6 available we arrived to find 4 of the 6 chargers fenced off and building work underway. Luckily one was free, and we edged through a gap in the fence and parked sideways alongside building material and charged at 230kW..
Real problem was with the last one. 10.30pm with 1hr left to drive we arrived at Ionity Bonneville. All chargers showing as free and online. I was able to easily activate and "start" the process as per other Ionity chargers, but instead of the normal click and reassuring buzz from both the charge tower and the nearby electrical cabinets behind the fences there was just silence... and then after a few seconds a message on Ionity screen saying "Charging is delayed until power is available". Then the car says charging failed. I tried 4 of the posts before giving up. There was no-one to ask at the cafe area which was closed, and the normal petrol pumps were all self-service. I seem to remember we had 11% SOC charge, and 1 more hour drive to go up into the mountains. I figured out that if I drove another 20 mins (slowly) in the wrong direction to where we were trying to go I could reach another fast charger, but would then have to double back, and I was worried about running out of charge completely.
The Porsche app was not showing other fast options, so I pulled out my Shell ReCharge app, to see if there were any other chargers nearby, and I found a 50kW DC charger in a nearby town, so headed that way. Eventually found it in a car-park at a truck rental company, but it wasn't 50kW at all. It was 24kW DC, and actually charged at 18kW. We had to just rest in the car for 90mins to get the charge needed, and then eventually reached the resort at 3am...
On the way back to the UK, all the chargers were fine, until the car directed us to a 300kW charger at Fastned Aire de Saint Hilaire Cottes, our last stop before Calais. When we arrived we found the chargers present, and seemingly powered up, but completely fenced off and surrounded by diggers and construction work as a new covering was being erected for people to park underneath.... Sunday, no-one around, and no way to reach the actual chargers. This time, I double checked the apps, and the Porsche app said 0/4 available. But who is to know if that means just a queue - it was Feb half term after all, and last fast charger before Calais - or that they not actually reachable? And if the 0/4 was meaning to say not available at all, why does the car add it into the route...
Again, without enough charge to get to Calais we set off again, knowing we'd be routed elsewhere. This time we were directed 15 mins into the countryside to a little town, and a big shiny 150kw charge in a Lidl car park. Arrived with 4% SOC. But it would not start. Porsche card, Shell card, credit card. I scanned the QR code and it opened a website. Bingo "click here to charge", only to then be told the charger is "already in use". I tried the whole process a few times. With cable connected, disconnected, tried charger 1 and 2, made no difference, just kept saying the charger is already in use, when clearly it as not. No phone number on the unit to call for help / advice.
Alongside in the same car park was another slightly rusty looking box, with no screen, just a red and green button, and a QR code. I scanned the code, got to the same website, clicked "start charge" and it asked for payment details. Entered these, and then it fired up. Little door unlocked which let me attached my cable from the boot and I was charging. 10.4kW. I suspect it was a 22kW AC charger but I only had the 150kW option selected on my car, so maxes out at 11kW on AC, I believe. Another 45 mins on that charger then off to Calais to a faster charger before Eurotunnel check in. We were late, and had been bumped to another train, so another 2 hour delay.
Turns out there are fast EVGenie chargers the Eurotunnel in Calais (had used before elsewhere on trip - cant remember if Porsche or Shell card). Am thinking I could have limped there slowly directly from the Fastned charger, but who knows.... Something I would double check if it happened again.
Have been trying to figure out the lessons learned, which are probably this.
1. Car is awesome, really.
2. Infrastructure is not really there yet, for long trips. Enough went wrong to suggest it is safer to expect that something will.
3. For when it does, perhaps the 22kW AC charger option is a good one for the car. These chargers appear to be in every little town, and will halve your pain if you are forced to use one. Shell and Porsche apps show loads of these everywhere, and we saw loads of them too when looking out.
4. Regarding the Porsche Charge Planner, don't follow it blindly. Check which charger it is suggesting, and if not showing as 1 or more chargers currently available it may not be working at all (rather than just busy). I'm not sure which app is best to check to then know if it actually working/available, but maybe someone can suggest this? Naturally this checking is hard to do if driving... I've seen various posts about a little planning, and using ABRP (which I have used, but not "live" whilst driving), so I accept one should not just follow the planner.
I'm really hesitant to conclude that picking chargers where you still have enough charge to reach the next fast charger (if it doesnt work) is what is needed. This would mean charging more often and more slowly if having to not go below 20% or 30% SOC; and also complicated planning to work out back-up chargers. And it would not have helped us on the way to the Alps where the last fast charger didn't work - a detour or a slow charger was our only option. Rather, it seems one has to accept something can go wrong, and have the right apps, and 22kW option to mitigate this when it does?
I think when the infrastructure is more mature, with more chargers out there, it will be a breeze. If one stops at a charge station with 12% SOC to find that its not working, one should be able to just get back on the highway and reach the next fast charger within 50km. I don't mind the stops, or even queues. The problem is when they further apart than that, and one has to work out where to go, then detour from your route, and end up in a slow charger somewhere else...
Maybe there are some other fast charger networks that I am unaware of, but I was relying on the car and the Porsche charging network. But any suggestions of other networks that would have given access to more fast chargers would be appreciated??
All in all, trip was spoiled by the surprises, the extra time / delays and effort that was required to plan and solve the problems as they arose.
Great car, but feel I will need a week or two to get excited about it again.
