How can I authenticate at a public charging station?

With Plug & Charge, you can unlock the charging station simply by plugging the charging cable into your car. No app, no RFID card, no extra steps — just plug in and charging starts automatically. Once enabled, Plug & Charge is the most convenient authentication method.

How can I activate Plug & Charge for my Porsche?

Where is Plug & Charge available?

Plug & Charge currently works at the following operators:

How can I check if a charging station supports Plug & Charge?

Your My Porsche app will be able to tell you whether a particular charging station supports Plug & Charge. Open the My Porsche app on your phone > Tap Map (navigation arrow in the bottom navigation bar) and enter your location > Tap Show charging stations (at the top of the map) > filter the map view to only see chargers that offer Plug & Charge.

Please note:

With Plug & Charge, the communication between the car and the charging station may take a moment. Switching to another authentication method too early can cause the charging session to be interrupted. If a charging error occurs, Plug & Charge is temporarily disabled until the car is restarted or driven again. In the meantime, you can continue charging using RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) or the My Porsche app.

With the Porsche Charging Card, you can easily unlock a charging station using RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) technology. With this method, the charging station reads the small chip in your card and links the charging session to your charging contract — a simple and reliable way to start charging without using your phone.

Please follow the instructions shown on the display of the charging station, as these may vary depending on the operator. In most cases, you first need to connect your car to the charging station. Then simply hold your card close to the card reader for a few seconds — once the chip is recognised, the station unlocks and you can start charging. If you don’t have a Porsche Charging Card yet, you can find information on how to obtain one in this article: How to get a new Porsche Charging Card | Ask Porsche.

Please note:

After connecting your car to the charging station, you have about 55 seconds to authenticate with your card. If authentication is not completed within this time, an error message may appear and you will need to restart the charging process.

You can also unlock and authenticate a charging station using the Porsche crest keyring with integrated RFID technology. Simply hold the back of the keyring against the station’s card reader for a few seconds until it is recognised. The keyring is available in the Porsche Online Shop.

Before using the Porsche crest keyring for the first time, you will need to add it to your My Porsche account. To do so: 

The QR code on the charging station – usually identifiable by a green and white logo – can be scanned using your My Porsche app (Apple App Store/Google Play Store) in order to unlock and authenticate for use. To scan the QR code, just tap the QR-code icon in the Vehicle Location widget on the home screen of the My Porsche app and select Unlock charging station.

You can also authenticate and unlock the charging station by selecting the relevant plug on the map of the My Porsche app:

The Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment ID – or EVSEID – is used by the charging station operator to uniquely identify its charging infrastructure up to the power outlet (i.e., the charging socket).

For each EVSE-ID there are icons which will show whether it’s possible to start the charging process using the My Porsche app. If a mobile phone icon is shown, then the charger can be unlocked from the app. If the icon is missing, then the charging station may not support activation via the app. In this case, please use the Porsche charging card.

You will also need to ensure that you have mobile phone reception for the My Porsche app in order for it to work as well as having the latest version of the My Porsche app software installed.

If both of these authentication methods fail, then you will need to contact our Customer Service team (details below).

Make sure that the Porsche Charging Service is active. To check this, see your car's page in My Porsche under the Charging History and Subscription link.

Another reason could be that the charging point is not part of the Porsche Charging Service. You can check this in the My Porsche app under Map (navigation arrow in the bottom navigation bar). 

Potential causes and solutions can be found here:

What if I’m unable to start charging?

Why is my vehicle not charging with the desired charging performance? 

How can I end a charging process?

Frequently asked questions about charging in general  

IONITY uses fast chargers from several manufacturers across Europe. At ABB fast chargers, RFID authorisation before plugging in the charging cable is not supported. To start a charging session, simply follow these steps:

You can recognise an ABB charger by the manufacturer label: on the back or side of the charging station, a silver metal nameplate lists “ABB” as the manufacturer.