Wilson Laidlaw

Heidelberg, who make the Universal charger for Porsche, market a wall box at the very reasonable price of €499, which will charge at up to 11 kW/H if the vehicle is capable of accepting that. Sadly they don't make a portable charger which is a more flexible solution. I have been doing exactly the same as you and tucking the charger under the car when charging to keep it out of the rain. In France this is more to keep it out of the sun, as when it rains, it is usually thunder/lightning and I disconnect. Most of the EV chargers sold in France are made in China and sold under assorted brands and direct from Aliexpress but they all look identical. The only one I would really trust is the Mennekes one sold by Amazon. I might wait until I get back to the UK in the autumn and buy there, where there seems to be a lot more choice. Given that Renault make various electric vehicles, surprisingly you very rarely see them in France other than in Paris and there are very few public charge points compared with Germany or the UK.

ssiminou

I have a quick question about cable management. I have no garage and I only have a 110 outlet outside so I've decided I'm going to need to call an electrician to install a Nema 14-50 outlet outside. I chose the Nema 14-50 25ft. cable when I specced the car so I guess I need a 14-50 outlet. (I'm not really sure why I did this since I didn't get the upgraded charger, but it's whatever).

I also have a carport in my house, but there's a gate (right where the carport starts) that I always keep locked because it's too narrow to pull the car all the way in. So what I'd like to do is have the electrician place the outlet under the carport, and then screw the charger to the wall next to the outlet (still covered by the carport). I want to then run the charger-to-car cable through one of the decorative gaps in the gate, but I'm looking for a device that can simply retract the cable instead of me having to wrap it around over and over again. I'd place this device on the other side of the gate (not covered by the carport) and one side should have the J1772 part sticking out, ready for me to plug in the car, with the other side traveling past the gate into the charger.

This probably sounds really complicated, but I'm basically asking if anyone knows of a device that could house the 'charger-to-car' cable and reel it back (kinda like a vacuum) to save me time and for convenience, while allowing me to run the end of that same cable through the gate and into the charger. I might draw a sketch to demonstrate what I'm saying if I have time.

I was going to buy the charger cabinet, but I really don't want to have to wind the damn thing over and over again, and if I put the charger and outlet behind the gate, it's covered from the elements and hidden (so it's not too ugly).

Thank you for reading this.

Pana TJ

Sam, Sounds like you are looking for a type of cable reel to retract the cable length that goes out to the car. I was reading the instructions for the Charging unit and I remember reading that it specifically states not to use a cable reel. I attached above the page that I read this from. Refer to the third arrow in the middle column. Not sure what else to suggest without really seeing what you are up against.
Good luck, PanaTJ

ssiminou

Thanks PanaTJ for showing us this. I guess there is no point searching for cable retractor/reel. I'll send a sketch shortly so you guys can see my weird situation and what I plan to do.

ssiminou

ssiminou

Pana TJ

I do not think the problem with a reel is the fact that it is looped or still coiled up while charging. I believe the issue would be that an electrical retractable cable reel would require the cable to be cut and wired to a rotor/stator or collector/brush system to transfer the current from the movable to the stationary parts of the reel. This is just my guess, but you would most likely have to cut the cable going to the car to properly install such a system. This is most likely the issue that Porsche would not approve under any type of warranty. Just my guess.

ssiminou

Did your charger come with this wall mount thing? I saw it in the e-Performance brochure and it was pictured above the optional wall cabinet.

Pana TJ

I have not received my car yet, due in September some time (Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Executive). I ordered the Porsche Charging Dock for the Porsche Universal Charger (AC). I believe it has one of these "holsters" on each side of the Dock to hang up the plug when not in use. I was thinking, maybe you could just get some sort of garden hose hanger and just wrap the cord around it and let it hang. I believe that the holder shown in the picture above may come with the Universal Charger (AC). Someone else may be able to confirm who already received their car.

ssiminou

My plan is to buy something like a garden hose manager (maybe there are some specifically for car chargers) but it would be nice to have that wall mount pictured above for the charger. I'll put the docking thing for the J1772 plug next to the 'hose manager'. Maybe I should just buy the cabinet, but I'd really hate having to loop around the cable.

SaratogaLefty

So here is my setup in my garage. I ordered the 25' cable but I really only use about three feet as my car is parked in the garage right next to the mounting. The cable just stays coiled up on the simple hose holder I bought at Orchard Supply for $10. Otherwise everything you see came with the car. I had the 50 amp 240 volt receptacle installed as part of my solar installation.



My setup in my garage. Simple and easy to install.

ajriches01

The Porsche Box enables you to wrap the cable around it. It's expensive and is just a fancy looking case but...if spending £100k, may as well spend £300 on something that looks good and is tidy.

JCBH

Yeah here are my installations in our garage, in our hangar and in our warehouse...love the design. Have the 25 foot cables in all three...gotta figure out where to put that really cool pedestal next!
Been having a blast with the hybrid. It is our first hybrid car and driving around town via electric power is terrific. So useful. When we want a brute we go to sport or sport plus modes and off to the races. Best of both worlds.
Jeff

ClayMan28

On the topic of charging, what plugs does the universal charger come with? I will be doing a ED soon so I just realized I'll be needing different plugs there vs. after I get back to the other side of the world!

FriscoTexasGuy