The base plate can detect motion and foreign objects. The charging process is automatically interrupted if a living creature gets between the vehicle and the floor plate, or if a metallic object lies on the latter and heats up.

"Ease of use, suitability for everyday use and charging infrastructure are still the decisive factors when it comes to the acceptance of electric mobility," says Michael Steiner, Ph.D., deputy chairman and member of the executive board of research and development at Porsche. "Charging an electric car at home has never been so easy and convenient."

As soon as the parking position above the floor plate is reached and the parking brake is activated, the charging process begins. Electromagnetic radiation is limited to the underbody of the vehicle during charging.

The Porsche system uses ultra-wideband technology to determine a vehicle's relative position above the floor plate. When the optimal parking position is reached, the driver is informed. In the vehicle's secondary coil, which acts as a receiver unit, the magnetic field then generates alternating current. A rectifier then converts this into direct current so that the Cayenne's high-voltage battery can store it.

Inductive charging technology has been successfully used for consumer electronic devices such as electric toothbrushes and smartphones. Energy is transferred through the air via a magnetic field.

Porsche’s design uses a transmitter coil made of copper and ferrites that is located in the base plate. Alternating current flows through this coil, which generates a magnetic field.