You may recall a few months ago when we drove a prototype of the all-new Porsche Cayenne Electric, which has not yet been fully revealed. It was an exciting preview of what's expected to arrive by the middle of next year as a 2026 model. Last week in Germany, we drove it again. This time, though, the ride lasted only about 10 feet. Here's what we learned.
Although the new Cayenne Electric advertises a peak DC fast-charge rate of a blistering 400 kilowatts—which Porsche claims can recharge its 108-kWh battery pack from 10 to 80 percent in under 16 minutes—the projection that 75 percent of EV customers charge at home means that the majority of Cayenne Electric owners won't usually experience more than the onboard charger's 11 kilowatts. An inductive charging pad, which recently debuted at the IAA Mobility show in Munich, matches that output while eliminating the hassle of physically plugging in and unplugging the vehicle. We got to try it at the Porsche Experience Center in Leipzig, Germany.
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Hard, Where?
Wireless charging is like a two-piece bathing suit. On top, there's a 33-pound piece of hardware mounted between the battery pack and under the front motor. It plugs directly into the pack and its liquid cooling system. Because this unit houses a DC converter, inductive charging circumvents the onboard charger, though it's just as powerful at 11 kilowatts. A thick metal plate protects it from damage. The vehicle automatically pauses charging if it detects Mr. Whiskers moving underneath and automatically continues the charge once he returns to his litter box.
On the ground is the 110-pound wireless charging pad that doesn't care if you track snow over it. In fact, Porsche told us temperatures can reach up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit during charging, warm enough to melt ice. Porsche says the wireless charging pad is up to 90 percent efficient, and even while the Cayenne Electric is parked over the pad in off-road mode (with 9.7 inches of ground clearance), losses are negligible. Porsche also promises that if the pad's surface is ever directly driven onto, it can handle the abuse.
Set It and Forget It
To get started, "inductive charging" must be enabled from the Cayenne Electric's curvaceous infotainment screen. Then the vehicle will recognize the charging pad's Wi-Fi signal within about 25 feet. You can make the pad private (less of an issue today, as the Cayenne Electric is the only SUV on the planet that can use this pad, for now) or share it with at least five others through the My Porsche app.
As you approach the pad, it turns into a video game. From the infotainment screen, you must get the green circles to match. Or, in terms children might appreciate, the woman in the green coat wants to hug the circle baby. Maybe you and the family can workshop that one a bit. The system allows for about three inches of tolerance in either direction, so it's okay if you're not perfectly aligned on top of the 31-inch-wide wireless charging pad. It's certainly easier than saying the alphabet backward.
While not immediately available for the United States, the price in Europe is about $8200. Porsche says the ground pad costs $5860, with the remaining price accounting for installation and hardware under the SUV.
More Details About the New 2026 Cayenne Electric
Much like the new Nissan Leaf, the Cayenne Electric features a DC-only NACS port on the passenger's side, while a J1772 port is located on the opposite quarter-panel. Porsche explained that this design "fits the use case for the majority of customers that do all of their charging at home, using AC."
The ability for NACS to handle AC and DC charging (like it does on every Tesla and newer Hyundai and Kia EVs that have made the switch) is arguably its most redeeming quality, however. An engineer told us that future Cayenne Electrics will allow for AC charging from the NACS port. That leads us to believe a supplier issue during development is the likely reason this is not yet available.
We also know more about the 108-kWh pack that will come standard in every Cayenne Electric. The cells are LG-supplied pouch cells, and the 1389-pound pack has 32 cells in each of its six modules for a total of 192. This means the new pack has considerably fewer cells when compared to the 97-kWh pack in the Taycan, which uses 32 modules with a total of 384 smaller cells. Porsche claims the new battery chemistry, which uses more nickel (now 86 percent) and aluminum, has a 7 percent higher energy density than the Taycan's.
The curtain is expected to come off the real Cayenne Electric later this year. Porsche will offer it in three trim levels, including the top Turbo spec, which will pack 986 horsepower and 1106 pound-feet of torque.
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Austin Irwin has worked for Car and Driver for over 10 years in various roles. He's steadily worked his way from an entry-level data entry position into driving vehicles for photography and video, and is now reviewing and testing cars. What will he do next? Who knows, but he better be fast.
