Yesterday we found out about the 2020 Porsche Taycan 4S, the new “entry level” version of Porsche’s new electric sedan that costs closer to $100,000 than $200,000, thankfully. Porsche also helpfully released a ton of info on how you can charge it, including an Amazon deal of all things.
If you drop the six figures currently required for a Taycan, it comes with a well-rounded package for alleviating your charging worries, including a partnership with Electrify America for public charging and a deal through Amazon for home installation of more powerful charger than the chord that comes standard in the trunk of the car.
Taycan drivers in the U.S. can stay charged up thanks to a three-pronged infrastructure strategy: free 30-minute charging sessions for three years at Electrify America sites nationwide, DC fast chargers at Porsche dealerships, and home charging to start every day with a charged battery.
In the U.S., Porsche customers can go to www.amazon.com/porschecharging for convenient installation of a 240V home charging plug or charging device. Answer a few simple questions for a price quote, then schedule a vetted and licensed electrician online.
Electrify America is already a cousin of the Porsche brand, as it was started by Porsche parent company Volkswagen as reparations for the Dieselgate scandal to develop and expand EV charging infrastructure in the U.S., so it makes a somewhat natural partnership.
There’s been a lot of talk about the Taycan’s new 800-volt architecture, which allows for faster charge times compared to most current electric vehicles standard 400-volt architecture. That’s where Electrify America comes in.
Because of the 800-volt setup, the Taycan can take up to 225 kW peak charging capacity for the performance battery on the Taycan 4S, or 270 kW peak charging capacity for the 4S equipped with the optional Performance Battery Plus, which also comes in the Turbo and Turbo S models.
That should mean a charge time from 5 percent of battery capacity to 80 percent state of charge in under 23 minutes in “ideal conditions,” according to Porsche.
The first phase of Electrify America’s plans involved opening or beginning construction on 300 highway charge stations with at least two 350 kW chargers (which the Taycan would use to achieve those peak 225 and 270 kW figures for the Taycan, as the chargers are designed to meet the peak charging capabilities of the car connected) by July 1 of this year. Here’s a map:
The highway stations will also have 150 kW charging connections, which are typically the standard max capacity for current 400-volt architecture cars, which the Taycan could also plug into. There will also be specific Metro markets featuring 150 kW stations. Taycan owners will be able to use those free 30-minute charging sessions in the first three years of ownership at any of these charging stations.
All Porsche dealers will also install 50 kW stations, with 120 dealerships also installing the automaker’s own 320 kW DC fast-charging stations, via TechCrunch.
As for home charging—where the vast majority of juicing up the Taycan will likely take place for the vast majority of owners—Porsche has set up that handy web page over on Amazon.com that guides you through the requirements for prepping your garage or home for a more powerful 240 kW charging setup, and helps you find a certified electrician for installation of a new outlet.
The Amazon partnership also outlines a variety of 240 kW charger options from the leaders in the industry, like ChargePoint and JuiceBox, which have to be sold and installed separately from the outlet installation (the outlet installation does not include the actual 240 volt wall charger, just the outlet for it).
It seems like there should be plenty of fast charging for longer roadtrips along the routes outlined by the first phase of Electrify America’s map by the time U.S. customers start getting cars early next year, just like Tesla owners work around with the Supercharger network of fast chargers.
Infrastructure will be the key to the success or failure of electric vehicles in the U.S., and it seems Porsche and Electrify America are well on their way to making something work.
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