Porsche Taycan Owners to Get 3 Years of Free Charging from Electrify America

author: FutureCar Staff    

The Porsche Taycan was first revealed as the Mission E concept in 2015

Owners of the upcoming Porsche Taycan, the automaker's first fully electric luxury sedan, are getting a sweet deal on charging—it will be free for three years.

Electrify America was established by Porsche parent company Volkswagen as restitution for the "dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal to promote the mass-adoption of electric vehicles in the U.S. The company has inked a deal with Porsche to provide 3 years of free charging to buyers of the upcoming electric Taycan.

Owners of the new electric sedan from Porsche will have free access to Electrify America's growing network of public EV charging stations across the U.S. The charging benefit will be bundled in the price of the Taycan.

In addition to free access to public EV chargers, U.S. Porsche dealers will install fast-charge kiosks for customers. Porsche will also offer home charging technology, so future Taycan owners have convenient places to charge.

"Every Porsche is a sports car with soul, and the Taycan is soul electrified," said Klaus Zellmer, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America. "Together, Electrify America and our Porsche dealer network will provide a national infrastructure for DC fast charging that frees future Taycan owners from range anxiety. And Porsche home charging technology will turn the customer's garage into the equivalent of a personal gas station."

Taycan owners will receive three years of unlimited 30-minute charging at Electrify America locations, including more than 300 highway stations in 42 states as well as more than 180 sites in 17 metro areas.

Electrify America is opening hundreds of EV charging sities across the U.S. as part of a $2 billion investment in EV charging infrastructure.

Electrify America highway and metro stations will offer DC fast charging at rates up to 350 kilowatts. The soon to be released Taycan supports a 800 volt charging rate using the combined charging system (CCS) plug. Taycan drivers will be able to add another 60 miles of range in just four minutes—the fastest in today's automotive market, according to Porsche. For comparison, Tesla Superchargers have a maximum output of 480 volts, providing up 140 kW of power delivery.  

According to a press release from Porsche, the Electrify America highway stations will have a minimum of two higher-output 350 kW chargers per site, with additional chargers delivering up to 150 kW. The highway stations will be spaced along multiple routes and no more than 120 miles from each other. Nationally, the distance between highway stations will average 70 miles, allowing for a cross country trip. Charging dispensers at metro locations will be able to charge at speeds up to 150 kW.

The first phase of Electrify America's nationwide ultra-fast charging network will feature 484 locations with more than 2,000 charging stations installed or under construction by July 1. The company's second phase of charger installations is expected to deploy hundreds of additional charging sites beginning July 2019.

All 191 U.S. Porsche dealerships will install DC fast charging. More than 120 of these dealerships will feature Porsche "Turbo Charging", which is the automaker's own DC system that delivers up to 320 kW and also uses the CCS plug. The remaining dealerships will install 50 kW fast chargers.

Together, the total investment by Porsche dealers in charging infrastructure will be about $70 million. Since most cars spend 95 percent of their time parked at home or at work, new charging options for the Taycan will include a Porsche-designed home system. Details of the home system and installation options will be announced at a later date.

Tesla operates its own Supercharger network across the U.S., however Tesla owners are charged for using it. Tesla owners are billed per kWh (kilowatt-hour), which Tesla says is the most fair and simple method. In some areas, drivers are charged per minute called "tier 1" and "tier 2". According to Tesla, tier 1 applies while cars are charging at or below 60 kW and tier 2 applies while cars are charging above 60 kW.

The Porsche Taycan is seen as a serious competitor to Tesla's Model S electric sedan and access free charging might make the Taycan even more appealing to consumers thinking about buying a Tesla.

Since launching the car in 2012, Tesla has remained unchallenged from other automakers in the high-end luxury electric car segment. Now Tesla must content with rival luxury automakers entering the market with their own electric cars for the first time in its short history. Among them is the Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron SUV, as well as lower priced models from Hyundai, Kia and Nissan that may lure buyers away from the lower priced Tesla Model 3.

Over a ten year period ending in 2027, Electrify America is investing $2 billion in zero emission vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure and education programs in the U.S. has announced plans to construct the largest EV charging network in the U.S., exceeding the size of Telsa's planned Supercharger network.

FutureCar Staff