General Motors is phasing out the use of Apple’s CarPlay system on many of its vehicles, and is instead equipping its new EVs with proprietary tech that allows it to gather more user data and leech dollars from drivers with a range of subscription services.
Porsche, on the other hand, has opted to further integrate the Apple CarPlay system with its Taycan EV. Drivers of the four-door coupes and wagons sold in the U.S. can now use Apple Maps EV routing to plan journeys that include charging stops.
Taycans already comes with something called the Porsche Charging Planner that optimizes top-up stops based on the estimated charge level on arrival, plus traffic conditions and the vehicle’s average speed. But what’s new here is that this can all now be completed within the Apple ecosystem.
The software uses real-time driving info to work out stops along a route, and if the driver travels too far and lets the charge level get too low the car will come up with a new route to the nearest suitable charging station.
Related: GM Convinced It Can Break Your Apple CarPlay And Android Auto Habit
The Apple Maps EV routing feature isn’t only available to drivers buying a new Taycan either. Existing owners can also get in on the action, though pre-2021 cars will need a software update that can be performed by any Porsche dealer free of charge. But regardless of whether your Porsche EV is old or new you’ll need the latest version of the My Porsche app on your smartphone, and obviously that phone needs to be an Apple iPhone.
“We’ve listened to our customers, and they appreciate flexibility,” says Steffen Haug, MD of Porsche Digital. “This integration with a product that they are already familiar with gives more options and confidence in how they use their Taycan, both in day-to-day activities and on longer road trips.”
