Germany’s first luxury charging station, Porsche, includes four 22-kW AC charging stations and six 300-kW DC fast-charging slots. The Porsche app or a licence plate reader will open the food and drink area. Additional hubs in Austria and Switzerland are planned as the company adds other electric automobiles. We expected another VW Group brand to follow Audi’s early success with ticket-only charging stations. This month, Porsche opened a beautiful Charging Lounge in Bingen am Rhein, Germany. The company aims to replicate the chamber in other European countries. It contains six 300-kW DC fast chargers and four 22-kW AC outlets. Just minutes from the bustling A60/A61 crossroads, the Charging Lounge will be open 24/7. It will be spacious and elegant with food and soft drinks. The lounge requires a Porsche ID. However, there is an easier way in. A licence plate reader will let a Porsche through if its plate is saved on the computer. Drivers can use the MyPorsche app, QR code, or Porsche Charging Card to enter the station even if their licence number isn’t saved. Solar panels on the roof generate energy for the station. Special grid links supply the rest. South Tyrol-based Alpitronic makes 300-kW chargers for the station. Porsche also anticipates faster auto charging with 400-kW chargers. The lounge offers an intelligent mirror for working out, although someone would have less time in one of these settings. Airport-style charging networks have been introduced previously. Several automakers first investigated EVs. Porsche is one of the first to indicate its plans to develop several chambers. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are planned. Will a North American unit be built? It’s hard to say since there’s only one battery-electric Porsche. Even if electric Porsches outnumber gas-powered ones, there must be a business motive. Electric Porsches could work in several American cities. If they’re popular in Europe, we could see a few charging rooms in the US before the end of the decade. Because seven automakers just revealed plans for a massive new charging network across the U.S., Porsche’s decision may not matter. “Flagship” sites will have exceptional characteristics.
