Tesla rose to notoriety, at least in part, by building a huge cross-country network of super-fast charging stations, and offering their customers free use of those stations for a limited time. It was partially a marketing exercise to draw in clients with inexpensive operating costs. Even now that Tesla has saddled their entry-level Model 3 customers with charging costs, and has begun to roll back those charging subsidies for Model S and Model X owners, they are still giving their customers a charge for essentially the cost of the electricity. Tesla does not believe in operating their Supercharger system as a profit center.
Porsche, however, feels differently
As we reported last month, Porsche will be installing 800V ‘Turbo Charge’ stations for EV customers at each and every US dealership. Outside of Porsche dealers and certain destination locations, Porsche’s infrastructure will rely on Volkswagen/Audi’s Level 2 charger system, which is being installed concurrent with the Turbo Charge stations. As opposed to Tesla, Porsche wants their Turbo Charge stations to be profitable within three years of installation, creating more revenue for dealerships and for Porsche Cars North America.
When asked by GearBrain if Porsche would operate their charging stations as a profit resource, Porsche’s Lutz Meschke reportedly laughed before replying, “Yes, we want to earn money with the new products and services. Of course. Yes.” Meschke went on to explain that he felt Tesla’s model was untenable, reminding everyone that it was only free for a while. He then replied, somewhat confusingly, “Yes we try to [bill from day one] of course. We can invest in the beginning but after two or three years you have to be profitable with the new services, of course.”
If you were hoping to substitute some of the cost of your new Porsche EV with a non-existent fill-up bill, then you’ll be disappointed to find out that Porsche allegedly plans to charge prices similar to a tank of gasoline for an electric re-fuel. Where Tesla’s customers are paying cents on the dollar to re-up their range, Porsche expects folks to shell out big bucks for their helping of volts. Does this change how you feel about Mission E?
