Wirelessly charging your Porsche electric vehicle like an iPhone is now possible. But is this the way of the future?

      The latest in car news and reviews, without any nonsense

      Our complimentary daily newsletter delivers the most important stories straight to you, each weekday.

      Wireless charging for electric vehicles is on the horizon. Porsche is set to introduce this feature with the 2026 Cayenne Electric, and it’s quite impressive.

      While pricing for this option has not yet been announced, Porsche engineers believe this is the future, as it’s simpler and more convenient than plugging in with a cord after arriving home. This might imply: People prefer convenience, and this offers a solution.

      Sajjad Khan, a member of Porsche AG's executive board in the Car IT division, stated that drivers just need to park the car, and it will charge automatically. "We want to make charging as effortless as possible for our customers. Driving should be enjoyable, so charging needs to be straightforward." He emphasized that this technology should function everywhere, whether at home or at a destination.

      When the Cayenne Electric is released next year, buyers will have three options: either order a Cayenne EV without wireless charging, which won’t have it permanently, order the vehicle with a preparation package at an undisclosed price that lacks full hardware, or select the complete hardware package that enables wireless charging.

      Those who choose the prep package will be future-ready for wireless charging if they decide to go that route later, as the charging plate can be installed at a dealership, according to Porsche High Voltage lead Dr. Maximilian Müller.

      The inductive plate on the vehicle is positioned beneath the front electric motor and cooling systems.

      Porsche’s wireless charging engineers explained that the system boasts a 90% efficiency rate, compared to the 94% efficiency of traditional wired chargers. By comparison, a smartphone typically achieves about 60% efficiency when charging wirelessly due to thermal losses and smaller inductive plates.

      Wireless charging allows for up to 11 kW of current transfer while the Cayenne Electric is in its standard ride height. Raising the Cayenne on its air suspension would reduce efficiency, while lowering it could enhance efficiency; however, Müller noted that the system is designed to function optimally at the standard ride height for ease of use.

      Initially, there will be a one-time wireless pairing process between the vehicle and the charging plate, similar to pairing Bluetooth headphones. Once linked, the system will recognize the charging plate at the owner's garage, workplace, or home, thanks to GPS.

      As the vehicle approaches a GPS-marked garage, two green lines will appear on the 12.25-inch curved touchscreen in the front camera view. This will indicate how the vehicle is currently aligned, with a green circle on the virtual vehicle showing the location of the inductive charging plate. A separate circle will appear on the charging page. The driver simply needs to drive over the plate and align the circles, much like a video game.

      Porsche wireless charging engineers told The Drive that the inductive charging plates have a tolerance of 5.9 inches from front to back and 7.87 inches from side to side, meaning perfect alignment isn't necessary for the circles to match.

      Once the car is positioned over the pad, the system checks the alignment and ramps up to 11 kW within seconds. If an object comes close to the plate, the charging session will pause but the connection will remain intact. Once the object, like a leg, foot, or pet, is no longer detected under the car, charging will resume.

      Testing the system proved as straightforward as parking in a garage spot and centering the vehicle. If this is the future of charging, it eliminates one more reason for people to avoid electric vehicles; it's as simple as parking the car and having it automatically recharge.