Electric Porsche owners will have the option to charge their vehicles by parking over an inductive charging plate rather than plugging into a wallbox or socket.
Porsche will debut its world-first 11kW AC wireless charging box-plate technology when it unveils its electric Cayenne SUV at this month’s IAA mobility show in Germany.
The first fully electric Cayenne will be the first Porsche to be offered with the Porsche Wireless Charging floor plate.
The technology is the same as that used in cars for years now for charging smartphones wirelessly in vehicle cabins, as well as for electric-toothbrush recharging.
Porsche says a dedicated view in the vehicle’s 360-degree parking system enables the driver to manoeuvre into the best position for optimal charging – with the help of overlay gridlines. The Cayenne’s air suspension automatically lowers to within centimetres of the charging floor plate, which detects a pre-installed vehicle plate fitted to the bottom of the vehicle.
The charging process can be monitored by the owner’s My Porsche app, which includes the options for preconditioning and timer charging.
Porsche Wireless Charging floor plate – drive over it in your electric Cayenne and charge away!
The floor plate – 117cm long, 78cm wide and 6cm high – can be installed in a home garage, carport, driveway, or open-air parking space and is powered by connection to the mains.
Porsche said its research revealed about three-quarters of its electric-vehicle customers charge at home.
It’s even pet-friendly thanks to a foreign object detection system that will halt the charging process “if a living creature gets between the vehicle and floor plate”.
Porsche’s official release doesn’t state pricing, but UK media are reporting a total cost of about $10,000 for the combination of pre-installed vehicle hardware and the charging floor plate.