However with most current charging stations primarily based on 400-volt methods, is there nonetheless a bonus for automobiles with 800-volt architectures?
Consultants say sure, although automobiles will want an 800-volt-based charging infrastructure to take full benefit.
“A lot of the present DC quick charging infrastructure is for 400-volt automobiles,” mentioned BorgWarner’s Husted. “To permit the sooner charging that 800 volt allows, the newest era of high-voltage, high-power DC quick chargers will likely be wanted.”
That is not a problem for residence charging, however the highest-speed public charging networks thus far are restricted. Reich believes it will likely be a selected situation for freeway charging stations.
“The refill needs to be as fast as fueling up at a fuel station,” he mentioned. “That is the use case” for 800-volt charging.
Europe is seeing the rise of such networks.
Ionity is a multi-automaker partnership with various 800-volt, 350-kilowatt freeway charging factors.
“A 350-kW charger interprets into 5 to seven minutes charging time for 100 km,” mentioned Otmar Scharrer, senior vice chairman electrified powertrain expertise at ZF. That is about the identical time as a espresso break, he identified.
“That is actually a game-changer,” he mentioned. “That is one thing that can drive acceptance of e-mobility.”
In line with a latest report from Porsche, it takes about 80 minutes so as to add 250 miles of vary at a typical 50-kW, 400-volt station. That point drops to 40 minutes at 100 kW. If the charging plugs are cooled — including price, weight and complexity — that point can fall to 30 minutes, Porsche mentioned.
“A shift to a better voltage is subsequently inevitable within the quest to attain charging occasions within the desired hall,” the report mentioned. It will fall to about 15 minutes with 800-volt charging, the automaker mentioned.
Taking into consideration the time to pay, “the purpose of ‘charging like filling up’ is thus almost inside attain.”
Audi says the A6 Avant E-tron idea, primarily based on the identical PPE structure because the Taycan, can soak up sufficient power in simply 10 minutes at a fast-charging station to drive about 186 miles.
