Porsche introduces wireless inductive charging for the Cayenne Electric
By ForGeeks
Owning an electric car usually involves a certain routine. You have to get home, open the port, pull out the heavy cable, and plug it in. It’s not difficult, but it does require regular repetition. Porsche wants to change that habit in the new Cayenne Electric. The company has unveiled a system that allows the car to charge without any interaction with the cable.
The system is designed to allow the car to charge without any interaction with the cable.
The technology is called inductive charging. Many people already use it on a smaller scale, where they charge smartphones on a dedicated pad. Porsche has taken the same principle and adapted it for a large SUV. The company claims to be the first manufacturer to offer this kind of wireless charging option as a factory option.
The company claims to be the first manufacturer to offer this kind of wireless charging as a factory option.
The system is built simply. Instead of a wall-mounted unit, a floor pad is used. It is installed on the floor of a garage or parking space. It measures 117 centimeters long, 78 centimeters wide and 6 centimeters high.
Installation is simple too: plug it in and the system is ready to go. Inside the vehicle, a receiver module is mounted under the front axle. The two elements communicate via built-in Wi-Fi, using a password to protect against unauthorized use.
When the car recognizes a site, the driver gets parking assistance. A special mode with camera and sensors appears on the Porsche Communication Management screen. A dot on the display shows the position of the receiver and a circle — the position of the pad. The driver must align the two. When the vehicle is stopped and placed on the parking brake, charging starts automatically.
After the vehicle is stopped and placed on the parking brake, charging starts automatically.
To ensure sufficient power, Porsche engineers have redesigned the power system. Standard 50-60Hz mains current is converted to direct current, then back to alternating current at 85,000Hz. This creates a powerful magnetic field between the coils in the platform and in the car. The high frequency allows the energy to be transmitted through an air gap of up to 18 centimeters.
The system is more than 90 percent efficient. It does not require a perfect coil match — offsets of up to 10 centimeters are acceptable. The software automatically corrects the energy transfer.
There are several levels of protection for safety. If there’s a metal object between the coils, it can get hot, so the system automatically shuts off. There’s live object detection: if an animal or person gets under the car, charging stops instantly. Additional protective materials limit the magnetic field and protect the vehicle’s electronic systems.
This technology sets the stage for fully automated charging. Porsche is already working on a way for the car to drive itself into a garage, level itself over a pad, and start the process without human intervention.
A comparison with existing systems shows that the new technology delivers speeds comparable to Level 2 charging. Power output is 11kW, charging times are similar to wall-mounted charging stations, and the driver is only required to park the car. The only thing that needs to be installed — it’s a floor platform.
So Porsche has managed to create a system that combines the convenience of wireless charging with the efficiency of a traditional wired station, offering a new level of comfort for electric car owners.
