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?
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Just when the thought of Mission E was becoming tantalizing, thoughts turn to "What's the point?" from the consumer position. And don't forget road taxes for repairs/improvements that are included in petrol prices - those will still be needed whether as sales taxes at the charging station or road tolls.
Remember the last air cooled cars were Porsche’s, today’s cars are Audi’s.
What?
What’s the point of owning an E vehicle if it isn’t going to save me money on “fuel”? I understand Elon’s idea of a limited time of no cost recharging and the slow introduction of low cost re”fueling” of the car while your going somewhere, but to be charged the same as a gas powered refill....no way. So, now I’ve got fuel and maintenance cost for my gas powered 911, and I’m ok with that, but now if I decide on an Mission E vehicle I’ll still be saddled with high “fuel” costs plus the frightening high costs of owning a EV in the long term! No thank you! Just imagine the cost of a new power cell or replacing a motor....yikes, no thanks, I’ll just keep burning dinojuice!
No one is going to stop you from “filling up” from home (or any other place of your choosing). This service will be for the quick supercharging that can’t be done from home, because local power grids won’t be able to support it.
I don't understand why people are obsessed with getting "free" fuel with their EVs. If an automobile is purely about total cost of ownership, the Mission E (or any other Porsche or a Tesla Model S/X) probably isn't for you.
I'm a Porsche enthusiast and am fortunate to own several models along with a Tesla Model S. I put an order in for a Mission E and intend to replace my S with that, as I am hopeful the driving dynamics will be superior with the Mission E. But I would gladly pay for electricity at any charging point. In fact I would strongly prefer to pay market prices as Porsche intends, to allow market forces to bring more charging stations online. By suppressing the paid demand for electricity, it's no surprise that EV charging stations (especially high voltage setups that can quickly charge) are still quite limited.
Imagine if every gas station today also had EV chargers... one of the major inconveniences of EVs would disappear. But that'll only happen if EV owners actually pay for electricity.