--- title: "Porsche Is Keeping Keys and Start Buttons While Other EVs Don’t" date: "2025-10-12" modified: "2025-10-12" authors: - name: "Joel Feder" job_title: "Director of Content and Product" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/joel-feder" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/porsche-is-keeping-keys-and-start-buttons-while-other-evs-dont" categories: - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Porsche News" tags: - "luxury" - "sports car" --- # Porsche Is Keeping Keys and Start Buttons While Other EVs Don’t ![2026 Porsche Cayenne Electric hero]() Electric cars don't need a power button or a key, yet some have them. The [2026 Porsche Cayenne Electric]() is one of them. And it won't be the last. Porsches, regardless of powertrain, will always have a power button (or key) on the left side of the steering column, according to Cayenne electronics manager Dirk Assfalg. And key fobs won't be going anywhere either. In Leipzeg Germany [Porsche]() technology spokesperson Jonas Bierschneider told *The Drive* "there's no need" for the [electric Cayenne]()'s power button. But in an era where some Porsche customers are still asking for a metal key for their new car in 2025, which Porsche will not revert to, the idea of not having a power button in the Cayenne Electric wasn't even a discussion. The power button will never be used by anyone using a digital key with their smartphone, Bierschneider noted. The Cayenne Electric will unlock when the driver walks up to the car and automatically turn on. Once the brake pedal is depressed it’ll be ready to be put in gear. It’ll turn off when a customer gets out and walks away. This is the same way a Rivian or Tesla operates. Porsche spokesperson Calvin Kim noted “there are still Porsche customers that still want us to have a key. They want us to have a physical key.” Kim went on to note “There are customers that don’t’ want us to have any wireless technology." Kim said there are Porsche employees that own Taycans, and when they first bought the car they used the power button. “It’s just user behavior." There’s also a workshop advantage to having a power button, Kim noted as it provides the ability turn on and off cycling modules and stuff like that when performing calibrations, noting this is stuff an owner would never do. The Cayenne Electric will come with a physical key fob like other Porsches, but it is a plastic electronic fob. Not a metal key like an '80s 911. Kim also tried to pitch the power button as something “from our motorsports heritage, cause our race cars have power buttons." “Nope” was the response Assfalg provided when asked if there was even a discussion about not having a physical power button in the Cayenne Electric. For the time being even the (modern) key seems safe, and full control of whether a Porsche is on or off won't be going anywhere. *Got a tip about the usability of a vehicle? We want to hear from you at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Overseeing what you see, read, touch, hear, and interact with from the vast lakes of Minnesota, Joel Feder shapes how The Drive looks and operates as the head of content and product initiatives. On a daily basis, Joel leads the newsroom and editorial staff playing point on both short-term coverage and long-term strategic plans. His mission is to help ensure The Drive shapes the future of automotive media by helping the team execute original reporting, breaking news, and exclusive opportunities. Regarded as an industry insider and recognized by colleagues, fellow journalists, and manufacturers as a point-person and leader in the industry, Joel owns and runs the largest automotive professionals group on Facebook in an effort to serve and help others. Joel serves as a juror for the World Car Awards. In addition, he is the board chair and chair of the governance and nominating committee for Move Forward MN, a local non-profit that helps at-risk youth with barrier-free mental health and housing services. While you’re reading this he’s either on his computer or iPhone chasing the latest news or drafting a story. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() [Bluesky]() [Email]()