Does driving a Taycan make one an official EV and/or Porsche brand ambassador?

[SWORDER]

Does your local Porsche dealer have a fast DC charger? I like going to mine for a quick charge and a free snack. (Although an intended 15 minute stop invariably turns into an hour after poking around the latest 911 trade-in and shooting the breeze with my SA!)

That's actually not a bad idea although, last I checked, all my dealer had (for the public) was a bank of AC trickle chargers that operate at like 6kW.

 

[McgR]

don't see this kind of thing at a Tesla supercharge station, for example.

Because they all drive a Tesla anyway?

 

[BigBob]

Does your local Porsche dealer have a fast DC charger? I like going to mine for a quick charge and a free snack. (Although an intended 15 minute stop invariably turns into an hour after poking around the latest 911 trade-in and shooting the breeze with my SA!)

Not sure how it works in the US, but in UK, an hour visit to the Porsche garage with car on charge (supercharger) equates to an expensive snack! $30 time charge on top of the electricity cost!

 

[TYKHAAAN]

It goes with the car right now unfortunately. You are an ambassador for both. I tend to keep info on hand to give them so i dont waste my time having to educate every single one of them that feels the need to tell me why they think they are so smart and did about 2 seconds of looking on social media to get their “facts”. Here’s a good article from Motor Trend that smashes a lot of disinfo and most folks like that like Motor Trend, so they have nothing to say back about it…mostly…

https://www.motortrend.com/features/truth-about-electric-cars-ad-why-you-are-being-lied-to/

I keep a few website on hand actually now. Living in the south, it’s just a constant barrage of people like this, but they’ve all been polite tho.

 

[SWORDER]

It goes with the car right now unfortunately. You are an ambassador for both. I tend to keep info on hand to give them so i dont waste my time having to educate every single one of them that feels the need to tell me why they think they are so smart and did about 2 seconds of looking on social media to get their “facts”. Here’s a good article from Motor Trend that smashes a lot of disinfo and most folks like that like Motor Trend, so they have nothing to say back about it…mostly…

https://www.motortrend.com/features/truth-about-electric-cars-ad-why-you-are-being-lied-to/

I keep a few website on hand actually now. Living in the south, it’s just a constant barrage of people like this, but they’ve all been polite tho.

Great article. Thanks for that!

 

[DerekS]

I keep a few website on hand actually now. Living in the south, it’s just a constant barrage of people like this, but they’ve all been polite tho.

I've had a mix.

Negative:
- Heckled at Amarillo EA station "You'd be done already if dat thing waz gas!" etc.
- A woman rolled down her window to visibly laugh/mock me waiting my turn at a busy EA station in Waco. Not gonna lie, I was pretty unhappy with EA that day and she had a point.

Amusing:
- I ain't never seen no Tesla Porsh!

The rest were just questions about range, cost to charge, etc.

 

[RingoDingo]

Great article. Thanks for that!

A very useful article - and all of it also without mentioning the geopolitical consequences of oil and where it comes from, including many, many unfortunate wars fought to secure oil price stability. I’m not ignorant enough to say battery supplies and lithium/cobalt supplies won’t have their own geopolitical challenges, but with batteries and green energy we can at least hope for decades of technological advancements. Not so for burning oil.

 

[Fish Fingers]

Tell them that you don't really like electric vehicles, but it just feels a safer option after your <insert ice car make/model> burst into flames due to a leaking fuel pipe onto the exhaust manifold.

And the money you save buying fuel allows you to give more to charity.

 

[simcity]

I make extensive use of the "free" Walmart/EA chargers.

Walmarters are becoming aggressively inquisitive. I'm not talking about fellow EV customers who are charging. Those dudes are pretty cool, typically asking how long it takes to charge, performance specs, etc. I always enjoy exchanging knowledge with them. What I'm referring to here are random shoppers with their grocery carts in the parking lot.

Avoiding eye contact while reading an iPad is of no use. Some will even tap on the window or wave to initiate a friendly chat.

These guys feel compelled to share with me their views on EVs in general, and then reveal to me their groundbreaking discovery that EV charging is actually fueled by coal. They often state their preference for cars that make loud exhaust noises, share their well-founded concern that their neighbor's Tesla may one day burst into flames, which is a problem because they live in a wildfire zone -- not to mention their concerns about possible lithium shortages, their thoughts on climate change, and their curious desire for me to acknowledge that, although the Taycan TTS is indeed fast, their cousin's modified sports car would likely beat mine in a head-to-head drag race.

I'm always polite to these folks. But I just don't really have a lot to say about EV ownership. I've been a 911 Turbo guy since early 2000's but it turned out the Taycan was faster, quieter, had a tax break, less maintenance, with zero cost to charge (at EA) so I switched. I'm glad I did. End of story. I don't really have any deep thoughts to share with these people about the veracity of climate change or their specific environmental concerns. I haven't studied these topics enough to form an opinion. I'm just trying to charge my car and move on, ya know?

Where do these people come from? Have you experienced the same? These spontaneous chit-chats seem to be increasing in both frequency and length. Is it just a Walmart thing? Or maybe a city-specific thing (I'm in San Diego)? What is it about the Taycan that compels strangers to reveal their innermost thoughts on EVs? I don't see other EV owners facing the same battle. You don't see this kind of thing at a Tesla supercharge station, for example.

They’re out there alright!

One day in 2017 I pulled into the Waitrose (maybe it something to do with shops that begin with the letter “W”) car park in Ipswich in Suffolk, UK in our new model X.

These were somewhat rarer than they are now. No one barely give a toss now. Anyhow back then, we’d barely pulled in and opened the falcon wing doors, kids get out, me and other half clamber out and this women comes no kidding, running full pelt across the car park from the store.

Somewhat taken aback, I was expecting I’d run over a small dog or something was the look on this woman’s eyes…

It was like we’d pulled up in an alien space craft or the Delorian from back to the future. She was like “…OMG, what is that!!!! Is that a…..Tesla!!!!! Long conversation ensues, small crowd starts to build thinking I’d killed a small animal or something. Turns out she wasn’t a random stranger but a Waitrose employee that couldn’t help herself -as she ran from the tills over to us.

Well that certainly was an eventful weekly shop! This sort of thing continued for probably the better part of 6 months or so, with variations of conversation, stares, pointing and staring. I don’t think I’ve ever had a car attract so much attention.

Much as I think the Taycan is in another league, I really doubt it will attract this level of fevered attention.

 

[JRNJTAYCAN]

I make extensive use of the "free" Walmart/EA chargers.

Walmarters are becoming aggressively inquisitive. I'm not talking about fellow EV customers who are charging. Those dudes are pretty cool, typically asking how long it takes to charge, performance specs, etc. I always enjoy exchanging knowledge with them. What I'm referring to here are random shoppers with their grocery carts in the parking lot.

Avoiding eye contact while reading an iPad is of no use. Some will even tap on the window or wave to initiate a friendly chat.

These guys feel compelled to share with me their views on EVs in general, and then reveal to me their groundbreaking discovery that EV charging is actually fueled by coal. They often state their preference for cars that make loud exhaust noises, share their well-founded concern that their neighbor's Tesla may one day burst into flames, which is a problem because they live in a wildfire zone -- not to mention their concerns about possible lithium shortages, their thoughts on climate change, and their curious desire for me to acknowledge that, although the Taycan TTS is indeed fast, their cousin's modified sports car would likely beat mine in a head-to-head drag race.

I'm always polite to these folks. But I just don't really have a lot to say about EV ownership. I've been a 911 Turbo guy since early 2000's but it turned out the Taycan was faster, quieter, had a tax break, less maintenance, with zero cost to charge (at EA) so I switched. I'm glad I did. End of story. I don't really have any deep thoughts to share with these people about the veracity of climate change or their specific environmental concerns. I haven't studied these topics enough to form an opinion. I'm just trying to charge my car and move on, ya know?

Where do these people come from? Have you experienced the same? These spontaneous chit-chats seem to be increasing in both frequency and length. Is it just a Walmart thing? Or maybe a city-specific thing (I'm in San Diego)? What is it about the Taycan that compels strangers to reveal their innermost thoughts on EVs? I don't see other EV owners facing the same battle. You don't see this kind of thing at a Tesla supercharge station, for example.

One song that always comes to mind when I read stuff like this is;
People Are Crazy
Song by Billy Currington

If you have not heard it please look it up on Youtube and listen to it. Trust me it will become a go to when people around you are crazy!

 

[RichJ]

One song that always comes to mind when I read stuff like this is;
People Are Crazy
Song by Billy Currington

If you have not heard it please look it up on Youtube and listen to it. Trust me it will become a go to when people around you are crazy!

My favorite along this line is George Carlin riff: stupid people. It makes me laugh every time I hear it. It's on youtube.

 

[Edward]

Not sure how it works in the US, but in UK, an hour visit to the Porsche garage with car on charge (supercharger) equates to an expensive snack! $30 time charge on top of the electricity cost!

The US Porsche dealership charging stations look like this:

At least in Austin, it just takes a visit with the receptionist to request the key card (at no charge), then you can start charging your car up to the max 270kW rate!

 

[ThePaddyWan]

I've had a few conversations with other EV owners while charging in public. No real haters, just folks excited about EV driving and sharing their experience. I always try to compliment other people's cars as well and never try to one-up anyone. I'm not about the bragging life.

I have had conversations with folks who are EV skeptics, but, no true haters. Most of the sentiment is being nervous about the transition and not finding the right EV for them. I always emphasize to take one out for a test drive and more and more models are coming out, the right car will be ready for them eventually. If not, ICE cars will around for years to come. We still own one ourselves and likely may purchase a few more in our lifetime.

The only folks who I've said that EVs wouldn't be a good experience are those that need to tow long distances or travel long distances where the charging network just isn't there yet.

Worst case though... it's easy to make up and excuse and say you need focus on something else and end the conversation.

 

[Tsingtao]

I live in small town Ohio....and despite what some may think, the reaction has been more inquisitive in nature. Charging costs, types of charging, availability, and range. That was in reaction to my Tesla a few years ago. We'll see if it changes when my Taycan arrives. I have only seen one Taycan around........and it belongs to Joe Burrow.

You just hit the nail on the head, the best response to an inquisitive, EV-disparaging Wal*Martian is to tell him that you don't know jack crap about EVs and the only reason you bought the Taycan was because Joe Burrow drives one. End of discussion.

 

[Neil63]

One day over 60 years ago in small town in Michigan’s upper peninsula a strange little car was parked outside a coffee shop. as a small group of 13 year old boys admired the car, the owner came up and spent a half hour showing us his Speedster And answering our questions. Over the past 50 years I have owned 6 Porsches, partially because of the Speedster owner. Since then, I have always tried to emulate that experience.
if you own a rare car, you are an ambassador.

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