800 V systems offer advantages such as fast charging times, high efficiency and a long range. But until now, electric cars with 800 V drives have only been found in isolated cases. That is currently changing.
So far, it has mainly been the Hyundai-Kia Group that has offered 800 V technology for the wider market – for example in the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Hyundai Motor Deutschland GmbH
Fast charging with 800 V technology in the mass market? A challenge so far. This is because niche and high-performance models such as Formula E racing cars, the Porsche Taycan and the Audi E-tron GT, which are both based on the J1 platform, and the Lotus Eletre are equipped with an 800 V system. In the new Porsche Macan, the 800 V architecture of the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) will now enable fast charging. Thanks to this technology, Porsche's first PPE model series should be able to be charged with an even higher charging capacity than the 270 kW of the Taycan. Meanwhile, Tesla has introduced the Cybertruck, the first electric car with an 800 V traction battery. For Model Y and Model 3, it will remain at 400 V for the time being.
This also applies to the majority of electric vehicles on the road in Germany and around the world, for which an on-board power supply voltage of 400 V is still standard. The technology has so far been too expensive to be scaled up to high volumes. However, this could soon change. The 800 V voltage standard is becoming more and more widespread. The aforementioned PPE platform from the Volkswagen Group, which was designed and developed by Audi and Porsche, is already coming this year. BMW will follow in 2025 with the New Class, Mercedes with the Modular Architecture (MMA). The first electric car based on the MMA will be the Mercedes-Benz CLA at the end of 2024. In the meantime, mid-range vehicles with 800 V technology are also coming onto the market, such as models from the Hyundai-Kia Group – for example the Kia EV6 or the Hyundai Ioniq 5. In China, there is the BYD Dolphin compact car on an 800 V platform. In conclusion, it can be said that the introduction of 800 V systems is starting in high-priced vehicle segments and will gradually continue downwards.
More Insulation, More Complex Power Electronics
What makes a higher voltage so expensive is, on the one hand, the increasing insulation and fuse protection requirements as well as the more complex power electronics. In addition: "While numerous supplier components are already available for 400-volt systems, the selection of components for 800-volt systems is currently still limited," say the Springer authors led by Heiner Hans Heimes in the German book chapter on the electric drivetrain. This makes the components more expensive.
On the other hand, 800-volt technology promises greater everyday benefits and more efficiency. "Doubling the system voltage results in particular in the advantage of increased electrical power that can be called up. This is less relevant for the driving experience, but primarily of interest for fast charging," says Springer author Heimes. This means that electric vehicle drives with 800 V technology enable higher charging capacities and therefore shorter charging times compared to systems with a lower voltage level. What's more, a higher voltage means a smaller cable cross-section and the current flows more easily. As a result, the cables can be thinner, which saves installation space, weight and copper as a raw material. However, higher voltage does not necessarily mean faster charging: In practice, the theoretically possible charging power is often less important than the power provided by the charging station and usable by the vehicle.
Doubling of the WBG Semiconductor Share
Nevertheless, industry experts believe that the 800 V system will dominate the electric vehicle market in the future. "High voltage is more advantageous than anything else to meet the demand for shorter charging time. The 800-V system is expected to dominate the electric vehicle market in the future considering, for example, the thickness of the cable at the charging station, high voltage wires and connectors or the efficient use of the SiC power semiconductors", says Dr. Jinhwan Jung, Vice President of Hyundai Motor Company and Head of the Electric Drive Development Center, in the MTZ interview "800 V systems will dominate the market in the future". However, according to Jung, the additional costs for charging with 800 V could be an obstacle to the future optimization of the technology in view of the current charging infrastructure, which mainly consists of 400 V systems. Appropriate technical preparations are required for this aspect.
A market study commissioned by mechanical engineering firm Manz and conducted by the "Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM)" department at RWTH Aachen University on the subject of cell contact systems shows that the market share of 800 V battery systems in new registrations is expected to exceed the 50 % mark in the second half of the 2020s. The accelerated electrification of vehicles and the switch to 800 V architectures should also open up strong growth prospects for wide bandgap semiconductors (WBG), according to Aman Gupta, analyst at the consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. The focus here is on silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), two leading WBG semiconductor technologies. The analysts estimate that the adoption of the 800 V electric architecture by OEMs will lead to a doubling of the WBG semiconductor share in electric vehicles in the period from 2026 to 2027.
Current Electric Vehicles with 800 V On-Board Power Supply
- Aston Martin Rapid E
- Audi E-tron GT
- BYD Atto, Dolphin and Seal
- Cadillac Escalade IQ and Lyriq
- Elegend EL1
- Genesis Electrified GV70, Electrified GV80 and GV60
- Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6
- Kia EV6 und EV9
- Lotus Eletre
- Lucid Motors Air (924 V)
- Porsche Taycan, Taycan Cross Turismo and Macan
- Rimac Nevera
- Tesla Cybertruck
- Xpeng G6 und G9
- ZEEKR 007
This is a partly automated translation of this German article.
