Many of the electric cars on the market have a system voltage of 400 to 500 volts, but there are also some models with an 800 volt system. Tesla’s V4 superchargers even provide up to 1,000 volts. So will Tesla’s next generation of electric cars also receive a higher system voltage?
• 800 volt system provides stronger performance
• Porsche, BYD & Co. already offer models with 800 volt system voltage
• New generation of Tesla’s electric cars with higher voltage?
Advantage of 800 volt system
US electric car manufacturer Tesla has so far relied on a system voltage of 400 to 500 volts for its electric cars – like many other car manufacturers for many of their electric models. But now there are more and more electric cars with a higher voltage level. Advantage of the higher voltage: It provides higher performance because the electrical power is the product of voltage and current. If you increase one of the two values, the performance increases. A fast-charging comparison for electric cars by the ADAC shows that the 800-volt system has advantages when charging – even if some models with only 400 volt system voltage also achieve the highest charging performance. Fast charging, in turn, allows for short stops and a faster travel pace and could alleviate some of drivers’ concerns about charging time and range.
Some models already equipped with higher voltage
Porsche already used 800 volt system voltage for its Taycan e. “With Performance Battery Plus, the Taycan is the first series vehicle to run with a system voltage of 800 volts (voltage range 610 to 835 volts) instead of the 400 volts usual for electric cars,” says an article on the Porsche website. Other car manufacturers have now followed suit: Hyundai brought its first electric car with 800 volts onto the market, the Ioniq 5, and has since expanded this to other models. Chinese electric car manufacturers such as Geely, Xpeng and BYD are now also using the higher system voltage. At BYD, this has not only arrived in higher-priced models, but also in the mainstream. BYD’s Dolphin also works with a voltage of 800 volts. At the IAA this year, Mercedes-Benz and BMW also presented concept vehicles for series models starting in 2025, which provide an outlook on higher system voltage. Automotive suppliers have also already started producing drive systems with a voltage of 800 volts.
Will Tesla follow suit with higher system voltage?
At Tesla, the system voltage could also increase in the future. As Teslamag reports, the US electric car manufacturer spoke about a new charging system last year. Tesla’s semi truck should be able to charge with up to 1 megawatt with new V4 technology. In order to be able to absorb so much energy in a short time, Tesla’s semi-trailer truck is equipped with a 1,000-volt architecture. This new charging system could possibly also be used for the Cybertruck, whose production has now begun, but whose details are still the subject of intense speculation. The Cybertruck should be able to charge at the current superchargers, but it could possibly also use the new charging system. In addition, the supercharger specification proposed by Tesla as standard should also provide for 1,000 volts as an option. With the next generation of Tesla’s electric cars, the higher system voltage could also find its way into the Musk Group’s newer models.
Editorial team finanzen.net
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