Charging an EV at home really isn't difficult, but it can still be ever so slightly annoying. Is it less annoying than going to the gas station to fill up? Absolutely, but I'm also not going to pretend I wouldn't choose the "not plugging it in" option if it were available. I mean, I can charge my phone in the car wirelessly, and that's pretty great, so why wouldn't having that option with an EV also be awesome? With my 500e, I'm still stuck plugging it in, but if you buy the upcoming Porsche Cayenne EV, that will actually be an option.
Today, ahead of the Munich motor show, Porsche announced plans to offer the Cayenne EV with optional inductive charging, a move it says will make its latest EV more user-friendly. You'll still have to plug in on public chargers, so it hasn't completely eliminated the need for plugs, but at home, you'll be free. Just pull into your garage, get out, and your car will just charge on its own. No more walking out to your car to go somewhere, only to find you forgot to plug it in after carrying all your groceries inside.
Porsche
Sadly, we still have yet to crack the science of making electricity magically appear in your battery on its own, so Porsche had to stick with an inductive charging floor plate, but that's not so bad. It won't fast charge your EV wirelessly, either, but you weren't fast charging your car at home in the first place, so again, no complaints there. Its 11 kW charging speed should be more than sufficient for at-home use, even with a big battery. Heck, I just plug my 500e into a much slower, regular old wall outlet, and I do just fine.
According to Porsche, you'll have to connect the inductive charging plate to a power source, but other than that, everything you need to charge wirelessly is contained in the base plate. The Cayenne EV will also automatically lower its ride height to get close enough to charge, and the base plate has motion and foreign object detection included, so it can shut off automatically if anything interferes with the charging process. You'll be able to track and control the wireless charging process on the Porsche app, and you can still do climate preconditioning. The Cayenne's 360-degree camera systems will have a special view that helps you align the SUV's nose with the charging pad so you nail it every time.
Porsche
"Ease of use, suitability for everyday use and charging infrastructure are still the decisive factors when it comes to the acceptance of electric mobility," Porsche Board Member for Development Michael Steiner, said in a statement. "We are proud that inductive charging will soon be available in series production at Porsche. Charging an electric car at home has never been so easy and convenient."
Unfortunately, how long you'll have to wait for the wireless charging option depends on where you live. Porsche says it will first be available in Europe starting in 2026. Outside of Europe, though, all Porsche will say is, "Other markets around the world will follow." Pricing is also still unclear at this time, but come on. Anyone who has Porsche Cayenne EV money is going to be far more worried about getting access to a cool new convenience feature than they are about price.
