Electric vehicles with 800 V architecture will be the trend from 2025 onwards

If we take a look at the catalogue of electric vehicles from any manufacturer today, we will realise that the vast majority of them have propulsion systems that work at 400 V. Of course, there are also some models such as the Porsche Taycan, the Audi e-tron GT or The latest electric cars from Hyundai and KIA based on the E-GMP platform, which feature 800 V architectures; but these are the exception to the rule.

Even Tesla, the company that can be considered the main responsible for the transition process that the sector is currently experiencing, continues to rely exclusively on 400 V systems.

The advantages of implementing 800 V systems instead of 400 V are already known to all. The CCS standard already implemented in Europe limits the amperage to a maximum of 500 amps, so The maximum charging power supported by a vehicle with 400 V architecture is 200 kW. Precisely the one we find in the specification sheet of recent models such as the BMW iX or the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.

Power = voltage x amperage

Doubling the voltage to reach 800 V also doubles the maximum supported charging power without changing the amperage. This is what makes it possible, for example, for Porsche to announce a maximum charging power of 350 kW - although today it is limited to 270 kW. What this ultimately means is: less time lost at the loading point.

A recent report published in the German media, related to this issue, points out that 800 V systems that are the exception today, They will end up being a trend in a matter of a few years. Major suppliers are already working to push new technologies to 800 V and plan to start offering manufacturers new solutions from 2025.

This means that, contrary to what is happening now, during the second half of this decade the vast majority of new electric vehicles presented by manufacturers will have 800 V architectures, and 400 V architectures will become the exception rather than the rule.

In this same report, it is also noted that Hyundai has demonstrated that It is possible to be competitive in price using an 800 V architecture, so there is no longer any excuse not to make the leap to this type of system and take advantage of its benefits.

Autonomy, the right one: neither more nor less

It is also important to bear in mind that having a high charging power support in an electric vehicle not only brings the advantage of a considerable reduction in the time taken for each recharge, but as a consequence, it also makes it unnecessary to equip it with a high-capacity battery pack. Who needs a thousand kilometers of autonomy if you can recharge it in a few minutes and continue on your way? Taking into account, in addition, the reduction in weight and improvement in efficiency that comes from limiting the battery capacity, as well as the implications this has on the final cost of the vehicle.

Car manufacturers have realised this and everything indicates that in the coming years, instead of continuing in the race to increase the battery capacity of each new electric model, they will mainly focus on substantially reducing charging times by using 800 V architectures.