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800-Volt Electrical System—the Key to Shortening the Charging Time of New Energy Vehicles

In 2021, global EV sales will account for 9% of total passenger car sales.

To boost that number, in addition to investing heavily in new business landscapes to accelerate the development, manufacture and promotion of electrification, automakers and suppliers are also racking their brains to prepare for the next generation of vehicle components.

Examples include solid-state batteries, axial-flow motors, and 800-volt electrical systems that promise to cut charging times in half, drastically reduce battery size and cost, and improve drivetrain efficiency.

So far, only a handful of new cars have used an 800-volt system instead of the common 400.

Models with 800-volt systems already on the market are: Porsche Taycan, Audi E-tron GT, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. The Lucid Air limousine uses a 900-volt architecture, though industry experts believe it's technically an 800-volt system.

From the perspective of EV component suppliers, 800-volt battery architecture will be the dominant technology by the end of the 2020s, especially as more and more dedicated 800-volt architecture all-electric platforms emerge, such as Hyundai's E- GMP and PPE of the Volkswagen Group.

Hyundai Motor's E-GMP modular electric platform is provided by Vitesco Technologies, a powertrain company spun off from Continental AG, to provide 800-volt inverters; Volkswagen Group PPE is an 800-volt battery architecture jointly developed by Audi and Porsche. Modular electric vehicle platform.

"By 2025, models with 800-volt systems will become more common," said Dirk Kesselgruber, president of GKN's electric drivetrain division, a technology development company. GKN is also one of several Tier 1 suppliers using the technology, supplying components such as 800-volt electric axles, with an eye toward mass production in 2025.

He told Automotive News Europe, "We think the 800-volt system will become mainstream. Hyundai has also proven that it can be equally competitive on price."

In the United States, the Hyundai IQNIQ 5 starts at $43,650, which is more grounded than the average price of $60,054 for electric vehicles in February 2022, and can be accepted by more consumers.

"800 volts is the logical next step in the evolution of pure electric vehicles," Alexander Reich, head of innovative power electronics at Vitesco, said in an interview.

In addition to supplying 800-volt inverters for Hyundai's E-GMP modular electric platform, Vitesco has secured other major contracts, including inverters for a major North American automaker and two leading EVs in China and Japan. The supplier provides the motor.

The 800-volt electrical systems segment is growing faster than expected just a few years ago, and customers are growing stronger, Harry Husted, chief technology officer at U.S. auto parts supplier BorgWarner, said via email. interest. The supplier has also won some orders, including an integrated drive module for a Chinese luxury brand.

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1. Why is 800 volts the "logical next step"?

 

What are the highlights of the 800-volt system compared to the existing 400-volt system?

First, they can deliver the same power at a lower current. Increase charging time by 50% with the same battery size.

As a result, the battery, the most expensive component in an electric vehicle, can be made smaller, increasing efficiency while reducing overall weight.

Otmar Scharrer, senior vice president of electrified powertrain technology at ZF, said: "The cost of electric vehicles is not yet at the same level as gasoline vehicles, and a smaller battery would be a good solution. Also, having a very large battery in a mainstream compact model like the Ioniq 5 doesn’t make sense in itself.”

"By doubling the voltage and the same current, the car can get twice as much energy," Reich said. "If the charging time is fast enough, the electric car may not need to spend time pursuing a range of 1,000 kilometers."

Second, because higher voltages provide the same power with less current, cables and wires can also be made smaller and lighter, reducing the consumption of expensive and heavy copper.

Lost energy will also be reduced accordingly, resulting in better endurance and improved motor performance. And no complex thermal management system is required to ensure the battery operates at the optimum temperature.

Finally, when paired with emerging silicon carbide microchip technology, the 800-volt system can increase powertrain efficiency by up to 5 percent. This chip loses little energy when switching and is particularly effective for regenerative braking.

Because the new silicon carbide chips use less pure silicon, the cost could be lower and more chips can be supplied to the auto industry, suppliers said. Because other industries tend to use all-silicon chips, they compete with automakers on the semiconductor production line.

"In conclusion, the development of 800-volt systems is crucial," concludes GKN's Kessel Gruber.

 

2. 800-volt charging station network layout

 

Here's another question: Most of the existing charging stations are based on the 400-volt system, is there really an advantage to cars using the 800-volt system?

The answer given by industry experts is: yes. Although the vehicle needs an 800-volt based charging infrastructure.

"Most of the existing DC fast charging infrastructure is for 400-volt vehicles," Hursted said. "To achieve 800-volt fast charging, we need the latest generation of high-voltage, high-power DC fast chargers."

That's not a problem for home charging, but so far the fastest public charging networks in the U.S. are limited. Reich thinks the problem is even harder for highway charging stations.

In Europe, however, 800-volt system charging networks are on the rise, and Ionity has a number of 800-volt, 350-kilowatt highway charging points across Europe.

Ionity EU is a multi-automaker partnership project for a network of high-power charging stations for electric vehicles, founded by the BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor and Volkswagen. In 2020, Hyundai Motor joined as the fifth largest shareholder.

"An 800-volt, 350-kilowatt charger means a 100-kilometer charge time of 5-7 minutes," says ZF's Schaller. "That's just a cup of coffee."

"This is truly a disruptive technology. It will also help the auto industry convince more people to embrace electric vehicles."

According to a recent report from Porsche, it takes about 80 minutes to add 250 miles of range in a typical 50kW, 400V power station; 40 minutes if it's 100kW; if cooling the charging plug (costs , weight and complexity), which can further reduce the time to 30 minutes.

"Therefore, in the quest to achieve higher-speed charging, a transition to higher voltages is inevitable," the report concluded. Porsche believes that with an 800-volt charging voltage, the time would drop to around 15 minutes.

Recharging as easy and fast as refueling - there's a good chance it's going to happen.

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3. Pioneers in conservative industries

 

If 800-volt technology is indeed so good, it's worth asking why, with the exception of the aforementioned models, almost all electric vehicles are still based on 400-volt systems, even market leaders Tesla and Volkswagen. ?

Schaller and other experts attribute the reasons to "convenience" and "being an industry first."

A typical house uses 380 volts of three-phase AC (the voltage rate is actually a range, not a fixed value), so when automakers started rolling out plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles, the charging infrastructure was already there . And the first wave of electric vehicles was built on components developed for plug-in hybrids, which were based on 400-volt systems.

"When everybody's on 400 volts, it means that's the level of voltage that's available in the infrastructure everywhere," Schaller said. "It's the most convenient, it's immediately available. So people don't think too much. Immediately decided."

Kessel Gruber credits Porsche as a pioneer of the 800-volt system because it focused more on performance than practicality.

Porsche dares to re-evaluate what the industry has carried over from the past. He asks himself: "Is this really the best solution?" "Can we design it from scratch?" That's the beauty of being a high-performance automaker.

Industry experts have agreed that it's only a matter of time before more 800-volt EVs hit the market.

There are not many technical challenges, but parts need to be developed and validated; cost may be an issue, but with scale, smaller cells and less copper, low cost will come soon.

Volvo, Polestar, Stellantis and General Motors have already stated that future models will use the technology.

The Volkswagen Group is planning to launch a range of cars on its 800-volt PPE platform, including a new Macan and a station wagon based on the new A6 Avant E-tron concept.

A number of Chinese automakers have also announced a move to 800-volt architecture, including Xpeng Motors, NIO, Li Auto, BYD and Geely-owned Lotus.

"With the Taycan and the E-tron GT, you have a vehicle with class-leading performance. The Ioniq 5 is proof that an affordable family car is possible," Kessel Gruber concluded. "If If these few cars can do it, then every car can do it.”


Post time: Apr-19-2022