Recently, I took a business trip to Tokyo in the Taycan. It was a three-day, two-night trip. I wonder how many years it’s been since I last went on an overnight business trip.

For this Tokyo trip, since I had appointments in Tokyo on the first day, Yokohama the next day, and then back to Tokyo at night, with a lot of travel crossing prefectural borders, I decided to go by Taycan instead of the Shinkansen. In the end, I figured traveling by car would be more convenient.

Also, while I’ve experienced round trips to Fuji Speedway before, this was my first time doing a round trip to Tokyo. Since the distance from Shizuoka to Tokyo is quite far, I also wanted to test the charging infrastructure along the way.

Starting from my home in Hyogo Prefecture, the first destination was Shinjuku. It’s just under 500 km, but the Taycan’s full charge range is about 400 km (which varies depending on driving style), so I definitely had to charge somewhere along the way.

This time, I deliberately didn’t check in advance where charging spots were, and I even chose a hotel without a charger.

I’d like to share my impressions about charging during this three-day, two-night Taycan business trip.

To start with the conclusion, the total distance was 1,270 km, and I charged six times. Clearly, I charged too often, but whenever the remaining charge dropped below 40%, I got nervous and ended up charging frequently. By the way, according to a longtime Taycan owner I know, “You can easily drive even with 2–3% remaining.” (laughs)

DAY 1

I left home with 99% charge and charged at Kariya Highway Oasis in Aichi Prefecture.

At this point, the battery was down to about 35%. Kariya has a relatively new 90kW fast charger that’s easy to operate. However, since I haven’t registered a charging authentication card, I had to enter my card info every time I charged and pay the visitor fee.

This process is definitely a hassle.

Charging sessions last 30 minutes, but if you want to charge more, you have to re-enter your card info. Considering this, it’s more convenient to have a card, but since I only charge outside home about twice a year, the visitor fee ends up being cheaper annually.

By the way, the charging fee at Kariya was 2,310 yen for 30 minutes. (Seems about right.)

From there, I drove nonstop on the highway, and the next charging stop was Ebina Service Area. The Shin-Tomei Expressway’s Hamamatsu and Suruga Bay Numazu SAs have 150kW chargers, but I didn’t need to charge there, so I waited until I got closer to Tokyo to charge. (Charging nonstop to Shinjuku seemed risky.)

However, although Ebina supposedly has 90kW chargers, it was really hard to figure out where exactly they were… There were three chargers in total, but I couldn’t immediately tell which was 40kW and which was 90kW. Maybe I could have figured it out by reading carefully, but it wasn’t obvious at first glance. I ended up trying all the chargers and finally identified the 90kW one, but due to some password input errors, it took about 15 minutes before charging actually started.

That kind of thing is definitely stressful…

Later, I noticed the front left tire was slightly gouged, so after my appointment, I took the car to the Porsche Center in Meguro. I told them I couldn’t stay long since I came from Kansai, but they were very kind and helpful.

Also, a staff member asked, “Are you the blogger?” I was surprised to meet someone who reads my blog here. I’m very grateful…

The tire wasn’t leaking air, and since I came suddenly, the Taycan’s certified tires weren’t in stock, but they said I could safely drive back to Kansai. However, I lost time to visit the planned charging spot, so I charged at the Porsche Center before heading to my next appointment.

Charging at the Porsche Center was expensive—6,600 yen for 30 minutes (but I had no choice due to time constraints).

In total, I charged three times on the first day alone, but I could have waited longer before charging. After all appointments were done, I arrived at my hotel in Yokohama past 11 p.m. (I chose Yokohama because Tokyo hotels were too expensive.)

It was a very long day, but I went to bed pleasantly tired.

In the end, on Day 1, my charge never dropped below 20%, so I definitely charged too often.

DAY 2

On Day 2, I moved around Yokohama for appointments, then headed to Ariake in Tokyo at night to attend a Tesla Owners Club Japan (TOCJ) gathering. I still had about 40% charge, but since I would return to the Yokohama hotel that night and planned to leave early the next morning, I decided to charge on the way to Ariake.

Looking for a charging spot on the Shuto Expressway, I confirmed there was a 90kW charger at Daikoku PA. Daikoku PA is often mentioned on social media! I thought it would be great to visit this time! But when I arrived, the first charger I saw was very old, making me wonder, “Is this really okay?”

I plugged in and checked the output on the app, but it was only 30kW. It turned out to be a 40kW charger. I searched for the 90kW charger but couldn’t find it, so I charged at 40kW for 30 minutes.

Later, a TOCJ member told me, “There’s a 90kW charger near the Lawson in the parking lot!” I hadn’t noticed it at all… Next time, I’ll head straight there.

By then it was past 5 p.m., and the Shuto Expressway was quite congested. Still, I was glad to arrive in Ariake on time.

I joined the TOCJ gathering because I was asked to write a blog for their website. We have a Tesla Model 3 at home, and I’m impressed by its performance and convenience, so I often write about it on my blog. I wanted to share Tesla’s appeal further, so I joined TOCJ’s web team as a writer. (I’ll introduce that article later.)

The TOCJ members were very warm and kind, and they knew about this blog. Meeting new people is always fun. I felt renewed motivation to continue sharing the charms of Porsche and Tesla.

DAY 3

On the final day, Saturday, I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and left the Yokohama hotel at 6 a.m. I was sleep-deprived from the previous days but wanted to avoid traffic jams by leaving early. I thought, “I’m pretty energetic!” (laughs) At that time, I had about 65% charge, but driving 500 km one way was impossible without charging, so I charged at the 150kW charger at Suruga Bay Numazu SA on the way back. (I judged going all the way to Hamamatsu was too far.)

The 150kW charger is really fast. I was impressed by the charging speed and sincerely wished, “I hope more 150kW chargers appear on highways.”

From there, considering the remaining distance home, I barely had enough charge to make it, so my cautious self charged again at Kariya before heading home. (I really like Kariya, huh? lol)

In the end, I arrived home with about 35% charge left. I really am a worrier… I could have pushed it further, and one charge might have been enough.

By the way, next March, I plan to accompany the 911DAYS track event at Fuji Speedway in the Taycan (though I won’t be driving on the circuit). I’ll try to make it there on one charge, including mentally preparing myself. (I’m pretty sure it’ll be fine.)

EVs Are Great.

During charging on this trip, I unexpectedly found myself acting like an EV ambassador (laughs).

Many people asked, “Is this a hybrid? Or an electric car?” When I answered, “It’s a fully electric vehicle,” they were often surprised. They always asked, “How far can it go?” When I said about 400 km on a full charge, they were even more amazed: “Wow! It really goes that far!?”

Charging itself took about 30 minutes, during which I browsed souvenirs or had lunch, so I didn’t really feel like I was waiting. But the repeated card number input and complicated operations on older chargers were definitely stressful.

I really hope this improves.

I honestly wonder, “Why can’t all manufacturers and chargers be like Tesla, where you just plug in and that’s it?” But experiencing the Taycan’s instant acceleration, ride comfort, and flatness is addictive.

Even after driving so far, I didn’t feel overly tired, and finishing the whole trip with a pleasant fatigue was great.

That’s a somewhat rambling summary of my impressions about charging during this three-day Taycan business trip.

Next time, I wonder where I’ll go on a trip. Even for medium-distance drives, I’d love to go out again.