Porsche’s Wireless EV Charging: A New Era Begins

Charging your EV at home doesn't seem like an inconvenience—until you find yourself dragging the cord around the garage or down a rainy driveway, then unplugging it and reeling it back in every time you take the kids to school or run an errand. For elderly or drivers with limited capabilities, these bulky cords can be a physical challenge.

What was it like for smartphones many years ago wireless charging of electric vehicles was a dream. But there is a difference of almost four orders of magnitude between the roughly 14 watt-hours of a typical smartphone battery and that of a large electric car. That's what it does wireless charging about a 108 kilowatt-hour package in the near future Porsche The Cayenne Electric is so distinctive.

To offer the first inductive charger for a production car, Porsche had to overcome both technical and practical challenges, such as how to protect your beloved pet cat roaming underneath your car. The German automaker demonstrated the system at an exhibition in September. IAA Mobility exhibition in Munich.

With him 800-volt architectureThe Cayenne Electric can charge at a public DC station at up to 400 kW, which is enough to fill the battery from 10 to 80 percent in about 16 minutes. The wireless system provides about 11 kW of power for Level 2 charging at home, where Porsche says three out of four of its customers do almost all of their refueling. Drag the Cayenne into the garage and level it over a floor slab, and the SUV will charge from 10 to 80 percent in about 7.5 hours. No plugs, tangled cords, or dirty hands. Porsche will offer a single-phase 48 amp version for United States after buyers see their first Cayennes in mid-2026, and three-phaseSystem 16-A in Europe.

Porsche wireless charging is based on an old concept

Concept inductive charging has been around for over a century. Two coils of copper wire are placed next to each other. Current flowing through one coil creates a magnetic field that induces a voltage in the second coil.

In the Porsche system, a 78-centimeter wide floor stand is connected to the home's electrical panel. Inside the pad, which weighs 50 kilograms, mains electricity (60 Hz in the US and 50 Hz in most countries around the world) is converted to direct current and then to high-frequency alternating current with a voltage of 2000 V. The result is 85 kilohertz The magnetic field propagates from the pad to the Cayenne, where it is again converted into DC voltage.

waterproof The Pad can also be placed outdoors and the company claims that it is not affected by leaves, snow and the like. In fact, an air-cooled pad can get so hot that it will melt any snow, reaching temperatures of up to 50°C.

The Cayenne's on-board charger is installed between its front end. electric motor and battery. The 15 kg induction unit is connected directly to the battery.

In the majority electric carsAC plug (conductive) charging reaches its maximum at about 95 percent efficiency. Porsche says its wireless system achieves 90 percent efficiency, despite an air gap between the cushion and the car of approximately 12 to 18 cm.

Last year, Oak Ridge National Laboratory conveyed impressive 270 kilowatts to a Porsche Taycan with 95 percent efficiency.

“We are very proud that our charging efficiency is just below conductive AC,” says Simon Schulze, Porsche Product Manager for Charging Equipment. Porsche also outperforms inductive phone chargers, which are typically about 70 percent efficient, Schulze says.

When the vehicle approaches the charging pad within 7.5 metres, the Cayenne's parking assist system is activated automatically. Next comes a video game of sorts that requires the driver to line up a pair of green circles on the screen, one of which represents a car and the other a panel. It's like a digital version tennis a ball that some people hang in their garage to measure parking distances. There's plenty of wiggle room here, with tolerances of 20cm left to right and 15cm front and back. “You can’t miss this,” Schulze says.

Induction loops detect any objects between the charging plate and the car; Such objects, if they are metal, can become dangerously hot. Radar sensors detect any living creatures near the panel and stop charging if necessary. People can walk near or enter the vehicle without affecting the charging session.

Christian Holler, head of charging systems at Porsche, says the system complies with the requirements of the International Commission on Non-Ionization. Radiation Protection standards for electromagnetic radiation. The field remains below 15 microtesla, so it is safe for people with pacemakers– Porsche insists. And the aforementioned cat won't be harmed even if it gets caught in a magnetic field, although “its metal collar might get hot,” Schulze says.

Porsche's 90 percent system efficiency is impressive, but not a record. Last year, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) translated 270 kW to a Porsche Taycan with 95 percent efficiency, increasing its charge level by 50 percent in 10 minutes. What world wireless speed record relied on polyphase windings for the coils, part of the American Department of Energy project that was supported Volkswagenparent company of Porsche.

Those efforts, Holler said, led to his Ph.D. paper from VW engineer Andrew Foote. However, the project had different goals from the one that led to the creation of the Cayenne charging system. ORNL was focused on maximizing power transfer, regardless of cost, manufacturability or reliability, he said.

In contrast, designing a system for auto dealerships “requires a completely different level of quality and process,” Holler says.

High cost may limit adoption

Cayenne buyers in Europe will pay around €7,000 (roughly $8,100) for the optional charger. Porsche has yet to evaluate it for the United States.

Lauren McDonald, chief executive of Chargeonomics, an electric vehicle charging analysis company, said wireless charging is “clearly the future” with use cases such as self-driving cars robotaxischarging at the curb or anywhere “where charging cables could be annoying or even pose a safety hazard.”

But for now, McDonald says, inductive charging's high-cost, low-volume status will limit it to niche models and high-income consumers. Public adoption will be critical “to ensure drivers can conveniently charge throughout a full day of driving, which then increases the benefit of spending more money on the system.”

Porsche acknowledges this problem; The system meets wireless communications standards set by the Society of Automotive Engineers so that other automakers can help popularize the technology.

“We didn’t want it to be a proprietary solution only for Porsche,” says Schulze. “We will only benefit if other brands use it.”