- Porsche opens first branded luxury charging hub in Germany, featuring six 300-kW DC fast-charging stalls and four 22-kW AC charging points.
- Entry to the lounge is designed to be activated by an automatic license plate recognition system, or by using the MyPorsche app, with food and drinks inside.
- The automaker plans additional hubs in Austria and Switzerland in the near future as more electric vehicles are added to its lineup.
After Audi’s early success with reservations-only charging hubs, we knew it wouldn’t be long before another VW Group brand offered a similar experience. Porsche inaugurated a new luxury Charging Lounge this month in Bingen am Rhein, Germany, offering its own take on the EV experience.
The lounge, offering six 300-kW DC fast-charging stalls in addition to four 22-kW AC charging points, is the first of its type, with the brand set to expand the concept to other countries in Europe fairly soon.
Positioned just a couple of minutes from the busy A60/A61 junction, the Charging Lounge is designed to be open 24/7, offering a spacious and luxurious interior stocked with snacks and soft drinks.
A Porsche ID is required to enter the lounge itself, but there’s an automated system for that as well. If a given Porsche’s license plate is stored in the computer, an automatic license plate recognition system will let the car in. And even if the license plate isn’t stored in the system, drivers can use the MyPorsche app to access the station, or scan a QR code or use the Porsche Charging Card to access the station.
The interior of the charging lounge is not too dissimilar from an airline lounge, with snacks and drinks inside.
The station generates some of its own electricity thanks to solar cells on the roof of the building, but the majority of the power comes from a dedicated grid connection. Speaking of power, the station itself features 300-kW chargers produced by South Tyrolean specialist Alpitronic. And in the future, Porsche anticipates even faster charging speeds will be afforded by 400-kW chargers.
This would also drastically reduce the amount of time one will have to spend in one of these lounges, so perhaps there wouldn’t really be time for a physical workout in front of a smart mirror, which is yet another item currently offered by the lounge.
The entire concept of an airport-style charging network isn’t new per se, with a number of automakers having explored the idea in the early years of EVs. But Porsche is one of the first to commit to building several lounges of this type, with a number planned for Austria and Switzerland, in addition to more sites in Germany.
The station draws some of its power from solar cells on the roof, but the fast-chargers require a grid connection, as with Audi’s charging hubs.
Will we ever see a charging lounge like this in North America?
At the moment that’s hard to say, with just one battery-electric Porsche model currently on the market. But even when the variety of electric Porsche models begins to outnumber internal-combustion vehicles, there would still have to be a business case behind it. There are certainly some cities in the U.S. where the number of electric Porsche models could make the idea worthwhile.
Depending on how popular the charging lounges become in Europe in the next few years, we wouldn’t rule out seeing a handful open stateside by the end of the decade. And given the recent collaborative announcement from seven automakers for a vast new charging network across the U.S., some earmarked as “flagship” locations with certain amenities, this idea could start catching on here regardless of what Porsche decides to do.
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Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum. Despite being followed around by French cars for the past decade, he has somehow been able to avoid Citroën ownership, judging them too commonplace, and is currently looking at cars from the former Czechoslovakia. Jay has been with Autoweek since 2013.
Source: www.caranddriver.com