For NPR's Word of the Week, we're getting hot: During the Ottoman Empire, people used devices called "zarfs" to hold their coffee cups. Here's what to know about this word's history.

(Image credit: The Cleveland Museum of Art)

Curved displays in cars are increasingly common, adding a bit of shape to the increasing pixel overload we face behind the steering wheel. The designers of Porsche's upcoming Cayenne Electric, though, decided to do something more dramatic with the touchscreen that commands the center of the forthcoming SUV's dashboard.

Its shape flows between dashboard and center console in a smooth, organic way, with a pronounced bend in the middle. The first time I dragged my finger from top to bottom, traversing that kink, I decided I was going to hate this layout. But a day behind the wheel of a prototype version of Porsche's electric SUV changed my mind. I was left wondering why nobody has used this shape.

That was just one feature out of dozens that impressed in this SUV that promises somewhere north of 1,000 horsepower (745 kW) and something in excess of 300 miles (482 km) of range on a charge. It won't hit dealerships until sometime next year, but early impressions are that it will be worth the wait.

Intro to Cayenne

Porsche has camouflaged the EV prototype; don't expect the headlights or taillights to look like this. Credit: Tim Stevens

Porsche introduced the Cayenne in 2002 to global controversy. It was an SUV from a sports car company at a time when premium SUVs were still a rarity. In the decades since, it's earned respect thanks to its on-road performance and off-road capability.

The upcoming Cayenne Electric, which won't hit the market until next year, looks set to raise both bars in a big way. There will be three flavors of electric Cayenne, with the base SUV joined by the sportier Cayenne S and sportiest Cayenne Turbo.

Porsche hasn't finalized power output from those models, but engineers at the event told me to expect that the top-shelf trim will offer something north of 1,000 hp. That could make this Porsche's most powerful production machine yet, depending on how it compares to the Taycan Turbo GT.

The electric Cayenne Turbo's power comes from a new rear motor design on the Turbo that uses cooling technology borrowed from the company's Formula E efforts. Yes, in a rare example of tech transfer from the quietest of motorsports to the road, the electric Cayenne Turbo's rear power unit features a novel design with a coolant system slotting in between the motor's stator and rotor. Engineers told me this design not only means that it operates at a ridiculous 98 percent efficiency, but that it can output maximum power for longer.

This fin extends to add a little range. But only if you have the Cayenne Turbo. Credit: Tim Stevens

That means bombing down the Autobahn at top speed for as long as traffic and the SUV's 113 kWh (gross) battery will allow. Porsche said that, when driven more moderately, the electric Cayenne will do more than 373 miles (600 km) on the European WLTP cycle. On the more difficult American EPA cycle, that should equate to a range of roughly 300 miles. Charging will be done over a NACS port.

That range is further helped by a new and curious form of active aerodynamics. At speeds of over 37 mph (60 km/h), the Cayenne Turbo extends a pair of small fins from the rear bumper. These extend the car's side profile slightly, enough to deliver an extra seven miles of range. Sadly, lesser trims will have to do without the deployable gills.

Behind the wheel

The performance of the Cayenne Turbo is eye-opening, to say the least. After a stab of the push-to-pass button on the steering wheel, which sets the SUV to maximum output, a quick stomp on the accelerator was enough to make my peripheral vision narrow as the 22-inch tires beneath me struggled for grip.

The stability control system on the Cayenne doesn't dramatically cut power when torque exceeds traction. It simply reduces output somewhat until the big SUV has overcome its reluctant momentum. As the speed increased, so too did the power. This is an SUV designed for the derestricted sections of the Autobahn, after all, and despite not using a two-speed transmission like the Taycan, its acceleration did not abate, even at high speed.

But I spent much of my time behind the wheel at more moderate velocities, winding around the narrow, blind roads that work their way around the Catalan region of Spain. Porsche hasn't yet quoted a curb weight for any of the Cayenne Electric flavors, but however far it tips the scales, it still feels light and nimble. Steering is firm but sharp with decent feedback, and this big SUV dives into and screams out of corners with perfect poise.

It was only really over big, unsettling movements, speed bumps and the like, that I could feel how much mass was beneath me in the Cayenne Electric. When summiting asphalt imperfections like that, the curious shape of that central OLED really shone.

That display is bent at roughly a 45-degree angle, a profile that allows it to perfectly conform to both the angle of the dashboard and that of the center console. Porsche placed a padded wrist rest right beneath that and then designed the user interface to position the most important controls along the lower portion of the display, the part that's in line with your hand.

The result is you can rest your wrist there comfortably, queue up your favorite playlist, and crank the ventilated seats, all without making any accidental taps on bumpy roads. And despite this car not entering production until next year, that software was snappy and responsive. It didn't lock up on me once during a full day behind the wheel.

You'll need a low-grip surface if you want to go sliding around. Credit: Porsche

Yes, next year is a long time to wait for the Cayenne Electric to enter production. It's hard to know what the American EV scene will look like in three months, never mind 12, but for now, at least, Porsche's next SUV is shaping up extremely well. When it does hit the market, it will sit in dealerships alongside the existing Cayenne, which will continue to be available. Choice is good, and if you're in the market but not in a hurry, I'd suggest waiting for this. If the price is right, it will be a clear-cut winner.

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The cylinder reminds me of an internet router. And when I press the button on the back, a gentle whir of a fan begins, while a soft blue glow emits from the top. But it’s not sending out Wi-Fi waves. The Airea is launching microscopic drops into the air that should bind to and eliminate viruses, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and molds for up to 800 square feet. All without swapping a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. In fact, Airea can run for two years straight, and all you need to do is change a light bulb.

Airea, which is on the market now for $350, was created and funded in-house by the design firm MNML. Developed by Scott Wilson—the former global creative director at Nike, who has built everything from smart watches to Theraguns and CBD inhalers—he was first inspired through his work with Marriott. 

The hotel chain was interested in pursuing a pillow chocolate that might help someone sleep, but along the way, someone on the team showed Wilson a giant machine that could sterilize rooms—eliminating cigar smoke and SARS alike. It pumped H202 molecules (also known as hydrogen peroxide) into the air, which trapped particles and also sterilized surfaces. 

“I was like, why is this not in the consumer segment?” recalls Wilson. 

A month later, COVID-19 would reshape the world. And Wilson became obsessed with how H202 technology might be translated from expensive, large industrial machinery to a more practical domestic gadget. 

Hydrogen peroxide is what many of us know as a strong bleaching agent, used in everything from sanitizers to teeth whitening strips. Pumping that into the air is an inherently unsettling idea. But as Wilson learned, our body naturally produces some H202 as part of our immune process, and given its ability to neutralize viruses, it’s been researched for use in the development in vaccines. 

In significant amounts, H202 is unhealthy, but it’s still used today in places like food factories to sterilize machinery. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards regulate that air should not have more than 1 part per billion of H202. What Wilson developed over the following four years with Airea operates at levels 60 times lower than that, saturating the air with H202 levels at 15 parts per billion to 20 parts per billion. And while it’s not yet Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved, independent lab testing has demonstrated that Airea should eliminate more than 99% of viruses in the air.

Building a quieter, no fuss air purifier 

When Wilson’s team began working on Airea, he put a significant restraint on the design. He wanted the product to be so simple that it could be manufactured in the U.S. rather than China. (And he got close. Airea’s major components are molded in the U.S., with its final assembly in the Dominican Republic.)

He still can’t say exactly what drove the impulse, which now seems prophetic given global supply chain issues and tariffs. “Our job is to predict things. Part of it was, [the world] seemed unpredictable,” says Wilson. “And honestly, I didn’t want it to get knocked off.”

The ensuing architecture of Airea is quite simple. It’s essentially an extruded aluminum base, a computer fan, and a light bulb. The real ingenuity behind the design is that the aluminum is treated with a special coating so that when the light hits it, the surface generates H202 molecules. (Wilson has patents on the geometries of these aluminum fins, which maximize the surface area for light to hit and generate H202.)

“People might be able to reverse-engineer the coating, but there are only so many ways to create that much surface area in a small footprint,” says Wilson.

As for the design itself—with its router-like aesthetic—it’s not exactly an object of extreme beauty, but it’s also relatively innocuous. With a footprint somewhere between a tallboy and a small table lamp, it can be stuck just about anywhere to make a room’s air that much safer to breathe, and its surfaces that much more sterile to touch.

For now, just 5,000 units have been produced in Airea’s first run, as Wilson plans FDA testing and talks to partners who might expand their reach into various industries like healthcare.

In my own experience living with Airea, I did find the understated operation strange. At first, my mind oscillated between, “Is this even working?” and, “What am I breathing?” It’s substantially quieter than my HEPA unit that sits nearby, and you don’t really feel any breeze kicking out unless you hold your hand close. Airea’s protection is almost completely imperceptible, and I found myself craving some sort of extra proof of function before allowing myself to appreciate its minimal operation.

In this quasi-post-COVID-19 world, it’s easy to forget the amount of comfort air filters provided  just a few years ago—and that clean air is something we should still be prioritizing in buildings today. When my wife walked into the kitchen one recent morning with a cough, it was an excellent reminder: I subtly turned the Airea back on and breathed a bit easier. 

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