You have a fully charged Porsche Taycan, and the damn charger won’t release. Don’t panic! We’ll have you unplugged shortly.
The top reasons your charger won’t release include:
- Porsche Taycan is locked
- Fault in the cable
- Fast Charger fault
In this article, we’ll examine why your charge won’t release and how to release it.
Porsche Taycan is Locked
For charging to start and stop, several things must be in place. The first thing for charging to start is that the vehicle must be locked. This makes sense, right, as you want your car to be secure when you’re charging.
Although most people charge their car at home, in a secure garage, your car could be under a carport, at a destination, or fast charger. So when your Taycan is charging, it’s locked.
Most EV owners charge their cars at night. It’s the most convenient way for the majority of owners to charge. Even though the new Taycan owners receive free Electrify America charging for the first 30 minutes of any charge, we’ll look at fast charging later.
So, you’ve charged your car overnight. You get up the next morning, coffee in hand, go to the garage, and the charger won’t release.
You could do without this problem as you’re about to leave for work. Have you checked if the car is unlocked?
The Taycan has a two-step release. Once the car is unlocked, you must press the charge port button. Once unlocked, the button should no longer be illuminated. You must lift the charging cable from the port within 20 seconds, or it will relock.
It’s an easy fix, but as I say, it’s early in the morning, you have a lot going on, and it’s easy to forget to unlock the car.
Fault in the Cable
The charge cable may not be released because of a fault in the cable. Charge cables for all EVs are made of heavy, sturdy material but can still get damaged. The biggest culprit for damaging your cable is, in fact, your Taycan tires.
Repeatedly driving over the cable can cause breaks or nicks in the cable, which in turn will cause a fault when charging. When you initially plug in your cable, your Taycan’s onboard computer runs a series of checks to ensure both ends of the cable make a complete seal.
If everything is ok, charging can begin. The same is the case when you wish to unplug. If there is still current running through the cable, then the plug won’t release.
| Light Color | Meaning |
| White – Blinking | Establishing connection |
| Green – Blinking | Charging occurring |
| Green – On | Charging complete |
| Blue – Blinking | Charging paused |
| Red | Charging error |
If the charger port light is red, then an error has occurred during charging, and you need to take precautions.
The cable carries high-voltage electricity. This current needs to have completely stopped before the plug can be removed.
Firstly disconnect the power from the wall socket. Once the power has been cut, you should be able to release the cable from the port normally.
You can try disconnecting through the PCM (Porsche Communication Management) if you can’t. This will only work if the car is connected.
- Hop into your car
- On the PCM, select charging
- Select the three dots at the bottom right
- Select disconnect
This option will tell the computer to stop charging and disconnect the car.
If you have a cable fault, you must contact your local Porsche Dealership to replace the cable. It won’t be covered under warranty if it has been damaged due to misuse. They are pricey to replace – upwards of $1200. This is why tidying your cable away after each use is so essential.
Fast Charger Fault
We’ve looked at a fault in your cable, but that’s when you’re charging at home or somewhere that you have access to a socket. But sometimes, you can have charging difficulties at a fast charger, which may or may not be to do with your car.
Electrify America offers all new Taycan owners free charging for three years (for the first 30 minutes of charging at a DC charger). It makes sense to avail of it when you can. A lot of fast charging is not recommended for the longevity of your battery, but that’s a different topic.
If you are plugged into an Electrify America charging station, there are a couple of things to be aware of to avoid problems.
Your Taycan fast charger is only on the passenger side. The Level 2 charger is available on both sides of the car. Ensure you are parked with the fast charger nearest the charge point. Don’t stretch or over-extend the cable, as this can lead to release problems.
Don’t pull the charging cable handle before fully depressing the release button. Again this can cause a jamming issue.
Make sure your car is unlocked before you try to release the cable.
As before, your onboard computer does a series of tests before it releases the charger. The high voltage can’t be exposed. The fast charger may not release the plug if there’s any kind of strain on the cable.
That being said, the fast charger may actually have a fault. If you think there’s a problem, you can call Electrify America Customer Service (toll-free) at 1-833-632-2778, 24/7. Each charge point has a location number and a stall number. Once you tell the service assistant which one you are plugged into, they can release the cable remotely.
Once disconnected, they will advise you to transfer to another charge point if you haven’t successfully charged your Taycan.
Fault in the Car at a Fast Charger
Unfortunately, the fault might not be with Electrify America but with your car. If they have tried to disconnect you and you can’t release the plug, you can try and release it from the PCM.
- Go to charging
- Select the three-dot option (bottom right)
- Select Charging Plug (this will stop the charging and release the cable)
- You must press the release button beside the charging cable
- You must lift the charging handle within 20 seconds
If none of the above has worked to release the charger, you can opt for the manual release of it. However, this is the last resort, as you must bring your Taycan to a Porsche Dealership afterward.
- Open the passenger/driver door
- In the door well, there is a release knob
- Pull it until you feel resistance
- The charger will now be released
- Remove the charging handle within 20 seconds
The last resort is your local Porsche Dealership, the problem is it might not be so local, and the cables have to be reconnected in the workshop.
I’ve covered a couple of other common Taycan issues which you hopefully won’t experience, but if you do, we have you covered with these posts:
If you are curious about other EV models, check out the EV FAQ category.
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