The next-generation Cayenne large SUV will be able to recharge its battery wirelessly with new hardware from Porsche.
Electric Cars
Porsche will launch a wireless electric car charging pad next year alongside its first model to support the new technology – the fourth-generation Cayenne large SUV.
This will solve one of the most annoying aspects of owning an electric vehicle (EV) – physically plugging in to recharge – by letting owners simply drive over the pad and letting the battery recharge conductively.
Porsche is claiming a maximum charging power of 11kW, which is more potent than the peak 7kW charging available to single-phase outlets, but admits only an up to 90 per cent “efficiency of energy transfer from the power grid to the battery”.
However, without know the battery size of the new Cayenne, it is impossible to tell how long a full wireless charge will take, and it is still significantly slower than the DC rates of up to 320kW available to other Porsche EVs.
Still, the wireless charging pad makes it more convenient to charge at home, where 75 per cent of Porsche’s EVs are recharged according to the brand, and can be installed in a garage, carport or open-air space.
Measuring 1170mm long, 780mm wide, 60mm tall, and weighing around 50kgs, the charging pad easily slips under a compatible EV, or any car regardless of powertrain, but will not work on any electric vehicle.
Similar to a smartphone, the wireless charging pad will only work on vehicles with the appropriate hardware, and the first production model planned from Porsche is the 2026 Cayenne.
It means existing Taycan and Macan owners will not be able to make use of the new pad.
The hardware required to make use of wireless charging is fitted between the two front wheels and is weather and stone-chip protected, and when the Cayenne detects the presence of the charging unit, it lowers itself to initiate the process.
Lining up the Cayenne to the charging pad is made easier by a new surround-view monitor perspective, and Porsche has also built in safeguards, so if it detects movement or a foreign object within its charging field, the process stops.
The unit is also equipped with Wi-Fi and always-online connectivity options, enabling software updates and connection to the My Porsche smartphone application for monitoring.
Buyers of the Cayenne EV will still have access to DC fast charging of up to 400kW – the fastest of any production Porsche to date – but further details on the new model are still forthcoming.
Porsche will showcase its wireless electric vehicle charging technology at this week’s Munich motor show with a fluorescent-paint Cayenne prototype.
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Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
