(UK) Charging, extras and home installation. I don’t get it

[Amy84]

Hey

admittedly I’m a lady that’s not too into cars but my father is about to order a 4S and has left me to sort the practicalities of home charging!

Ive read a lot, watched YouTube and think I’m nearly there but would really appreciate some reinforcement or tips to make sure i haven’t missed anything!

So I understand (I think) there’s no need to really add any optional Extras for the charging stuff as you get a mobile charger as standard... I guess that’s the first thing to make sure I’ve got right!

Guessing we would also need a home installation of a charge point so was just going to engage Andersen as they seem to do the install and are more cost effective than buying the separate Porsche kit. Will also be using the government grant. We also have a single phase supply.

So, have I missed anything? We just have a standard plug socket in the garage so assume part of the install would be these guys installing something more industrial?

Also are there any replacement or additional cables we need to buy?

if there’s any questions let me know.

Apologies again for the really basic questions and lack of understanding x

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[TAYC4S]

Perhaps look at other options just to compare. There are so many...

I had a Zappi charger installed as it does pretty much everything and can also charge using solar if you have or ever plan to get this.
There are lots of other cheaper options as well and you could get one of those and let the car manage the charging profile and times etc. I would recommend a tethered charger which means you won’t have to keep plugging a cable in.

you should also buy a standard type 2 to type 2 cable so that you can charge when out and about where there are AC chargers you can plug in to.

 

[Amy84]

Thank you, will also look at other options x

 

[exav8tor]

Sounds like you have drawn the short straw here, just make sure you get to drive it too!

Firstly you definitely need a home charger setup, this would be 7Kw on a single phase supply and generally requires dedicated cabling from a fuse board. Using a standard 3 pin socket is not really workable as charging time can be measured in days.

As @TAYC4S says certainly worth looking at other home charger providers. I went for the EO Mini as it is a small compact unit which nicely fitted between the two garage doors. Octopus energy were doing a discounted EO Mini and offer cheap rate night charging should you want to throw electricity supplier into the mix.

There are a few threads around some of the different options people have installed, well worth a quick look at.

I would also recommend kicking off the process of getting the charger install done prior to getting the car. The Gov grant can be claimed based upon car being ordered. Note it can take a little while to sort given Covid situation and also can be complicated by your property/garage layout.

In terms of car options when ordering there are a few to consider around charging, which are probably more applicable to travelling with the car and so depend upon usage and to some degree location - availability of particular types of charger. These the 22kW A/C charger, the 150Kw DC charger, and the Type 2 cable @TAYC4S mentioned, again there are some threads that cover these.

Hope this help.

 

[ccooke01]

Hi,

I went with a Rolec tethered charger for home, it works fine, however it doesn’t have the ability to create s charging schedule, which means I had to setup a Profile & Timer within the car.

I have to say creating a custom Profile and Timer to take advantage of the Octopus cheap tariff wasn’t simple and took a couple of attempts, however the information on this forum really helped.

 

[Amy84]

Thanks for your replies everyone

 

[JimBob]

Have been through this.

The charger that comes with the Porsche is just fine for the job. No need to consider any third party options. Best to mount it high enough on the wall to put the display at eye level. The optional charging dock makes it visually more attractive and lets you keep the charging cable off the floor. If you can get it with the car great, otherwise it will be twice the price. Doesn't matter on which side of the car you mount it as the Porshce will charge either side, but needs to be near where the charging ports on the car are located, depending on how you park the car so the cable is spread out on the floor. Also really useful to have WIFI in the garage.

The optional charging dock comes with a spacer if your cabling is wall mounted otherwise if the cabling is inside the wall, no spacer is required.

The charger itself, can be popped off the wall mount in a couple of secs and taken with you if you need it on the road.

If you have enough power in the garage you are set to go, just have the electrician run cabling from the panel to a NEMA 14-50 plug on a 40 AMP circuit. Best to have an electrician do this as codes have to be followed and it's just plain safer. If your existing panel is not large enough you will have to have a larger panel installed (125 AMP works fine) And then you will have the circuits for a proper garage work shop.

Car will probably charge in a couple of hours depending on state of the battery and will be nice and toasty in the morning or cooled on a hot day.

 

[Amy84]

Thanks everyone...

I guess it would be good to know why people go with the external providers (Andersen, Zappi etc.) vs. just mounting the charger that comes with Porsche and just getting an electrician to do the necessary wiring? Seems like a more cost effective option, but not sure if I am missing anything there.

As JimBob mentioned, I am thinking of just going with the charger that is provided and then acquiring a Public Charging Cable (Mode 3) externally, as I have read on here you can get better quality ones for a better price?

 

[W1NGE]

Thanks everyone...

I guess it would be good to know why people go with the external providers (Andersen, Zappi etc.) vs. just mounting the charger that comes with Porsche and just getting an electrician to do the necessary wiring? Seems like a more cost effective option, but not sure if I am missing anything there.

As JimBob mentioned, I am thinking of just going with the charger that is provided and then acquiring a Public Charging Cable (Mode 3) externally, as I have read on here you can get better quality ones for a better price?

I looked at both options and opted to take the Porsche Mobile Charger Connect (PMCC) (the one with the display and network connection) as it was free of charge due to supply issues with the standard Porsche Mobile Charger (PMC). From Jan of this year the supply issue has been resolved and so PMC is standard and PMCC is a £762 option.

Depending on when you ordered and took / take delivery of your car you may well have got the PMCC for free (check your order form). If so then there is no need / sense / logic to sourcing a different brand as the Andersen's install (or any qualified electrician) works out cheaper without the additional expense of including their charger (and also taken the Government grant into consideration which theirs is entitled too (Porsche's isn't)). I also would use the standard Porsche cables (get the 7m one).

I got lucky and got the PMCC for free (ordered car in August'20 and delivered Nov'20) and had Andersen's run a 32A and additional supply board (needed in my case) to the garage (top quality job). System has worked perfectly since installation.

PMC and PMCC do the job they are designed to do so don't have any qualms on that. PMCC will support a 3 phase supply (not sure if PMC does but worth checking) and so 22kW is possible on the understanding that you have a 22kW AC onboard charger in the car which may / may not be of interest.

 

[Amy84]

Hi all, can the PMC standard charger only be used for charging with a domestic plug? My dealer is recommending their PMCC or an installer does hard wire a charging station to enhance the speed of charge. Not sure if he's trying to upsell it or being truthful!

Thoughts?

 

[ccooke01]

Hi all, can the PMC standard charger only be used for charging with a domestic plug? My dealer is recommending their PMCC or an installer does hard wire a charging station to enhance the speed of charge. Not sure if he's trying to upsell it or being truthful!

Thoughts?

To achieve the fastest charge at home in the UK

Hi all, can the PMC standard charger only be used for charging with a domestic plug? My dealer is recommending their PMCC or an installer does hard wire a charging station to enhance the speed of charge. Not sure if he's trying to upsell it or being truthful!

Thoughts?

Looking at the Porsche website it states that the PMC supports 3.6 and 7.2 charging rates, however to achieve these rates you will need a separate power circuit installed because a single UK plug cannot deliver the higher charging rates.

Based on information on the website, you should be able to connect the PMC to a 32amp circuit via a "blue commando" plug, this will provide up to 7.4 kW charge rate. If you are planning to charge the vehicle outside overnight, then I understand you will also need the Charging Dock.

Unfortunately I wasn't made aware by my dealer or company fleet manager that the PMCC was included with my car, therefore I got a Rolec EV Charger installed at home, this again needed a separate 32amp circuit.

If I had known that the PMCC was part of my order I would have just had the Charger Dock installed and wouldn't have bothered with the Rolec.

 

[W1NGE]

I would say your dealer is at best clueless (see manual for standard charger (PMC) and manual for PMCC). Here you can see the differences of the units but also the connection options are the same.

PMC has a max charge of 9.6kW which is ideal for a single phase 32A installation at home (this is not possible on a 13A plug!!!) The PMCC is rated at 22kW which is ideal if you have a dedicated 3 phase supply at home (and optioned the onboard 22kW AC charger which you haven't) which I expect not many people have. Therefore both PMC and PMCC on a single phase supply will charge at the same max capacity of your supply.

Both chargers come with a 13A plug connection but this is only for mobile charging say when away for the weekend and there is no charger near by and you take either your PMC or PMCC with you (likely you won't).

Both chargers will come with an appropriate industrial supply connector which in turn connects to your dedicated 32A rated supply from your main electrical board. PMCC definitely does and PMC should but double check with your dealer or alternate as they should know this as a minimum. Best person to speak to is always the Gold Technician (never the sales person).

NOTE: To get the most out of either of these chargers you must install a dedicated 32A supply to achieve 7.4kW charging. If you don't then you will be limited to the 13A (emergency / weekender) connection which is neigh on useless.

 

[Amy84]

I would say your dealer is at best clueless (see manual for standard charger (PMC) and manual for PMCC). Here you can see the differences of the units but also the connection options are the same.

PMC has a max charge of 9.6kW which is ideal for a single phase 32A installation at home (this is not possible on a 13A plug!!!) The PMCC is rated at 22kW which is ideal if you have a dedicated 3 phase supply at home (and optioned the onboard 22kW AC charger which you haven't) which I expect not many people have. Therefore both PMC and PMCC on a single phase supply will charge at the same max capacity of your supply.

Both chargers come with a 13A plug connection but this is only for mobile charging say when away for the weekend and there is no charger near by and you take either your PMC or PMCC with you (likely you won't).

Both chargers will come with an appropriate industrial supply connector which in turn connects to your dedicated 32A rated supply from your main electrical board. PMCC definitely does and PMC should but double check with your dealer or alternate as they should know this as a minimum. Best person to speak to is always the Gold Technician (never the sales person).

NOTE: To get the most out of either of these chargers you must install a dedicated 32A supply to achieve 7.4kW charging. If you don't then you will be limited to the 13A (emergency / weekender) connection which is neigh on useless.

Thanks to you and ccooke01

I will check re. the PMC point.

Seems sensible to me that I would just hire an electrician to install a dedicated 32A supply and hook that up to the PMC. Per that guide, it seems to come with a wall mount which I guess the electrician could put up for me at the same time.

Unless I am being thick (totally possible), it seems the only cost will be the installation and it doesn't seem I would be able to benefit from any grant as I WON'T be getting an external unit etc.

The only other thing I will need to buy then is the public charging cable which I understand is easily procured and needn't be through Porsche!

All correct? x

 

[Taycanturbolondon]

Thanks to you and ccooke01

I will check re. the PMC point.

Seems sensible to me that I would just hire an electrician to install a dedicated 32A supply and hook that up to the PMC. Per that guide, it seems to come with a wall mount which I guess the electrician could put up for me at the same time.

Unless I am being thick (totally possible), it seems the only cost will be the installation and it doesn't seem I would be able to benefit from any grant as I WON'T be getting an external unit etc.

The only other thing I will need to buy then is the public charging cable which I understand is easily procured and needn't be through Porsche!

All correct? x

installation cost; the 32amp fuse, a commando socket and the appropriate cabling. Will probably need an isolater also. it is simply a 'caravan' socket. i have a spare wall mount i purchased, i know not everyone got one in their pack.

 

[W1NGE]

Thanks to you and ccooke01

I will check re. the PMC point.

Seems sensible to me that I would just hire an electrician to install a dedicated 32A supply and hook that up to the PMC. Per that guide, it seems to come with a wall mount which I guess the electrician could put up for me at the same time.

Unless I am being thick (totally possible), it seems the only cost will be the installation and it doesn't seem I would be able to benefit from any grant as I WON'T be getting an external unit etc.

The only other thing I will need to buy then is the public charging cable which I understand is easily procured and needn't be through Porsche!

All correct? x

Correct - std PMC and get a Sparky to run the supply and mount the unit for you. Should be at most £450.

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