Coming from Tesla to Taycan, but worried about charging on road trips.

[anonymouse]

In some ways Taycan is a bit like the early days of Tesla in the UK: on a good day, charging is fantastic, fast, easy. On a bad day, you get to a ionity charger and it is full of clueless and stubborn newbies charging to 100%, with a queue waiting; you go to a Porsche dealer, and theirs is broken or closed; you get to an InstaVolt and the parking space is 0.1 mm wider than your tires; you end up at Shell, paying a fortune…..

Trips across Europe are an absolute breeze. The IONITY network is easily as good as Tesla’s. And Tesla, of course, are opening their own network quite quickly (outside UK).
But in the UK the infrastructure rollout is just very, very slow; and the early implementers made bad choices (only 1-2 stalls, poir central monitoring and/or engineer cover, bad locations etc).

Planning with ABRP is essential for a long journey; you need a back up plan, which could be a slow option (I plan to use only 100kW+ chargers and there are usually plenty of slower ones as a fallback). And frankly, you need to be prepared to pay the extortionate prices at Shell, and others, which will be part of your backup plan..

Personally, all this is outweighed by the fantastic driving of a Taycan. It’s just so much more fun than a Tesla. I’m prepared to accept the need for a bit of extra planning, and the occasional delay. I am optimistic that the network will get better; the question is whether it will improve faster than the U.K.’s growth in EVs.

 

[Fish Fingers]

...... optimistic that the network will get better; the question is whether it will improve faster than the U.K.’s growth in EVs.

I think there will be a lull in new ev ownership in the UK now.

I reckon the average EV demographic is mostly middle aged / middle class and many of the early adopters have already jumped in (like most on here).
I do note that it's now becoming a trendy 'thing' for the mums doing the school run near us to have an EV, instead of a 4x4.

But its the same demographic who are now going to get hit with rising mortgages, higher car finance, higher insurance, higher utility bills and falling residuals etc.

There were plenty of cancelled orders on here of late and I reckon it will get worse before it gets better (other way round for us that already own).

 

[xyeahtony]

You're in the UK/Europe. Can't you just use Tesla superchargers anyways lol?

 

[daveo4EV]

You're in the UK/Europe. Can't you just use Tesla superchargers anyways lol?

not all of them from what i understand - but some/most?

 

[xyeahtony]

not all of them from what i understand - but some/most?

I honestly dont know, but since they all have the CCS2 plug, i figured they'd be compatible. The network in the UK was opened up in 2022.

 

[daveo4EV]

I honestly dont know, but since they all have the CCS2 plug, i figured they'd be compatible.

compatible yes - authorized no.

Tesla to date in europe has some/most/more-than-you-want locked down Tesla's only - you can only charge at sites that allow non-Tesla's…this is an authorization issue, not a compatibility issue.

an example here in North America is I'm not authorized to use the CCS1 EV fast chargers at Porsche Monterey or Porsche San Jose, since those fast chargers are for dealer-service-sales use - not general purpose travels - the chargers are clearly compatible, but I lack authorization to use them.

but you can find out which sites you can charge at with the Tesla app - there is a map that lists sites you can charge at under the "charge my non-Tesla" tab in account.

 

[daveo4EV]

this is what I see for Europe from inside the Tesla app - it updates as you pinch/zoom the map - so this screen shot is not all the charger's open - just the chargers in "view" of the map…you can check your route with the Tesla app to see which supercharger sites are open for non-Tesla's via the Tesla app.

 

[McgR]

this is what I see for Europe from inside the Tesla app - it updates as you pinch/zoom the map - so this screen shot is not all the charger's open - just the chargers in "view" of the map…you can check your route with the Tesla app to see which supercharger sites are open for non-Tesla's via the Tesla app.

Not all of them have a chargign cable length and position that is compatible with the Taycan. With some charging is only possible by occupying 3 spots. And officially you can’t do. If most chargers are free and you stay around your car and move if necessary it won’t be a problem probably.

 

[LongLive959]

Hey is there much difference in range between the CT/ST and the sedan?

 

[daveo4EV]

Hey is there much difference in range between the CT/ST and the sedan?

statistical noise - more impact from driving style & conditions…

 

[anonymouse]

You can also see which Tesla superchargers are open to non-Teslas by going to tesla.com/findus and deselecting everything except ”open to non Tesla”. It is only A few in the uk but many more on the Continent. But please don’t clog them up if you don’t have the 150kW/400V charger option - without that option you will be charging st 50kW and should use somewhere else.

 

[Bongo77]

I honestly dont know, but since they all have the CCS2 plug, i figured they'd be compatible. The network in the UK was opened up in 2022.

Not true- only about 1 in 5 UK Superchargers are open to non-Tesla vehicles and these are typically the locations that aren't in high demand.

 

[Throb]

Ionity in Cambridge services was a terrible experience a number of times.

This must have been a one-off. I've used Cambridge Ionity a LOT on my journeys between the NL and northern England, and I've never had anything other than a flawless service. 265kW immediately and for a sustained period, even when fully-occupied. A couple of free charges, also. Don't be put off.

 

[Hanny]

Not true- only about 1 in 5 UK Superchargers are open to non-Tesla vehicles and these are typically the locations that aren't in high demand.

or massssssosive charging facility ie Trafford centre in Manchester.

But to reiterate from a post in this thread and in another on the forum - be mindful that Taycan position of the charging port and the cables set up with Tesla supercharges in the UK, that the Taycan will take x2 charger bays and thus may evoke disgruntled reaction by other Tesla owners/users ?

 

[Scandinavian]

This must have been a one-off. I've used Cambridge Ionity a LOT on my journeys between the NL and northern England, and I've never had anything other than a flawless service. 265kW immediately and for a sustained period, even when fully-occupied. A couple of free charges, also. Don't be put off.

Not a one off unfortunately.

only Ionity close to where we stayed and used it four days when driving to from Silverstone. Max I got was 118 kW and very busy charger.