Porsche to Install 500 Fast Chargers in U.S

Porsche AG expects to have a network of 500 fast-charger devices for electric vehicles in place across the U.S. by the end of 2019.

The installations will include at least one system at each of Porsche’s 189 U.S. dealerships, Klaus Zellmer, CEO of Porsche Cars North America, tells Automotive News. The remainder of the devices will be positioned near highways and possibly at destination points such as golf courses and hotels.

The chargers will support Porsche’s all-electric Mission E sedan, which will have a 300-mile driving range when it bows in the U.S. next year. The 350-kW, 800-volt fast chargers will be able to deliver an 80% charge (good for about 240 miles) in 20 minutes.

Charger installations are expected to cost dealers more than $100,000 per device. Porsche already has spent $1 million to equip its U.S. headquarters in Atlanta with six fast-chargers.

The new chargers will be teamed with a “battery buffer” that stores electricity, which Porsche says will be cheaper than charging batteries directly from the grid. The setup also would allow multiple vehicles to be charged at the same time.

Customer charging rates haven’t been set, but Porsche is targeting a cost-per-mile rate about the same as filling up with gasoline. Dealers initially may offer the service for free to help drive traffic to showrooms.

Porsche is evaluating several potential partners for the charging stations outside its dealerships. Zellmer cites ChargePoint, Electrify America and EVgo as leading candidates.