Porsche announced last Wednesday that it opened what amounts to Europe’s most powerful charging station yet.
The charging station taps into 7 MW of energy from all-renewable sources, and it’s a showcase for Porsche Turbo Charger units, developed by Porsche Engineering and showcased over recent years as part of its plans for Taycan and other future electric models.
The facility includes 12 350-kw DC fast charging points with 24-hour public access, six additional 350-kw charging points in closer control of the automaker, and four 22-kw AC charge points (technically Level 2, but nearly three times the potential power).
Partly due to its 800-volt vehicle architecture, the Taycan—or future derivatives of it—will eventually be able to take advantage of charging at up to 350 kw, which Porsche says can enable up to 100km (62 miles) in just five minutes.
Porsche Turbo Charging park - Leipzig, Germany
At present the Taycan is limited to 270 kw, in a specific temperature and state-of-charge window for the battery—but it amounts to the potential of going from 5% to 80% state of charge in as little as 22.5 minutes, which is close to what Porsche claimed when the Taycan was first teased in 2015 as the Mission E concept.
In a release, Porsche Leipzig GmbH chairman of the Board of Management Gerd Rupp said that the charging park “will significantly enrich the charging infrastructure in central Germany,” and noted that “electric and hybrid vehicles of all brands are welcome.”
Porsche says that drivers of any vehicle brand can use the charging station for free until the end of March; after that charging fees apply.
Porsche Turbo Charging park - Leipzig, Germany
The charging station includes additional hardware at the nearby Porsche Customer Center, where there’s a historical vehicle exhibition and shop, as well as “a range of driving experiences available at the Leipzig circuit,” according to Porsche—including the Panamera E-Hybrid and Taycan.
The automaker also notes that the upcoming next-generation Porsche Macan, which will be made in all-electric form, will be built at the plant.
Meanwhile, in Europe, Tesla vehicles are capable of taking advantage of CCS2 at peak rates close to those on Tesla’s own Supercharger network.
So it’s quite likely that Tesla drivers, among many other enthusiasts, will stop at the center and leave a little more enthusiastic about Porsche’s electric future.