German automaker Porsche has quietly rolled out wireless charging for its electric vehicles, revealing the introduction “a particularly convenient form of charging” that the company says will help to simplify everyday life for EV drivers.
The news was buried within a press release issued last week for the Cayenne Electric that focused largely on new colours, but included details of the wireless charging technology that requires owners just to park their EV over a ground pad to trigger the charging process.
Wireless or “inductive” charging is often seen as a holy grail of EV technology, potentially reducing complexity and creating greater opportunities for charging locations. Wireless charging is sometimes seen as the answer to commercial fleet recharging and private charging in locations without a driveway or garage.
Porsche’s wireless charging system transfers wirelessly at a rate of up to 11 kilowatts (kW) and with an efficiency of around 90 per cent.
Three components are required – preparation or installation of the required hardware on the Porsche Cayenne, the vehicle pad itself, and the ground pad installed in the parking space – the latter of which is weatherproof and can therefore also be installed outdoors.
Integrated safety mechanisms include motion sensors and foreign object detection, always ensuring safe operation of the system. For example, the charging process is automatically stopped if a living creature comes close to the vehicle or the ground pad, or if a metallic object lies on the ground pad and heats up.
So far, Porsche’s Wireless Charging system is available to order in Germany and other European markets, with the company promising to roll out the system in stages worldwide wherever Porsche Connect is available.
