Porsche this week opened the first of its planned network of electric vehicle charging stations aimed exclusively at Porsche owners.
Known as the Porsche Charging Lounge, the station is located near Bingen, Germany, and was picked for its close proximity to the junction of the busy A60 and A61 Autobahns. More locations are planned in Germany, as well as in Austria and Switzerland.
When announcing plans for the network last year, Porsche Chief Financial Officer Lutz Meschke said the automaker was still investigating plans for the U.S. and China. Currently, Porsche offers its U.S. customers a period of free charging at Electrify America stations, and the automaker has also been installing charging infrastructure at dealerships.
Audi is also testing the waters with its own network of charging stations. Mercedes-Benz is doing the same but plans to make its stations public, with its customers given preference by being able to reserve charging slots.
Porsche Charging Lounge, Germany
For the Bingen site, Porsche has installed six DC fast-charging points each offering up to 300 kw of charging, plus four 22-kw AC charging points. Porsche plans to add support for 400-kw charging starting from next year. Both electric and plug-in hybrid models can be charged at the station.
The station also includes an air-conditioned lounge with toilets, interactive displays with Porsche-related content, and vending machines for drinks and snacks. Charging and billing is handled via the Porsche Charging Service, with the current rate of electricity priced at 0.33 euros (approximately $0.36) per kwh. The Porsche Charging Service also provides access to more than 436,000 public charging points across Europe, with more than 25,000 of these being DC fast-chargers, Porsche said.
Porsche is also a member of Europe's Ionity network of charging stations via its Volkswagen Group parent, and has been installing AC charging points at luxury destinations the automaker said were popular with its customers. There are more than 5,000 of these spanning 86 countries and the number is set to grow to 7,500 by the end of 2025.
The opening of the charging station comes the same week that seven major automakers announced plans to partner on a network of DC fast-charging stations in North America. The first station is planned to be opened in the U.S. in mid-2024.
