800 volt charging: Hyundai makes it possible

You may have seen it, my first test drive with Hyundai’s most powerful production car ever: from IONIQ 5 N. A 650 hp EV that not only looks attractive and unique, but has shown a completely different side of electric driving thanks to smart technology. Equipment that the brand has created an artificial but very convincing spirit. And all this on a base that was already known for its progressive nature: the 800 volt e-GMP platform. In this article, Irwin Versteegh from InstaAutoVlog explains what makes this technology so special and effective, based on 3000 kilometers (in three days!).

Repeat 2016

Eight years ago, Hyundai launched the IONIQ, a vehicle that was marketed as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully electric vehicle. Electricity in particular was special. Remember, at that time the EV was not yet introduced as it is now and the choice was limited to the Nissan Leaf, BMW i3, Kia Soul or Tesla Model S.

What was unique was that the Hyundai IONIQ was able to squeeze a range of 280 km from the relatively balanced 28 kWh battery pack. Measured according to the now outdated NEDC method, yes, but nevertheless we are talking about a large middle class car with a large trunk space. The most special thing? You can charge this car from 10 to 80 percent in about 25 minutes.

Net eveners

This ensures that even today the IONIQ Electric is still a car that is still the best choice in terms of fast charging, energy consumption and the standard presence of a heat pump installation. The brand was there early, and the instant payment segment in particular seemed to want more.

At the end of 2020, a press release appeared: “Hyundai unveils unique BEV platform called e-GMP: Global Modular Electric Platform.” It’s not very exciting in itself, a standard EV platform; A few years earlier, Volkswagen already showed the MEB platform for, among other things, the complete iD series, although Hyundai and therefore also Kia with its luxury brand Genesis took a slightly different approach.

The press release said that the innovation base has been laid with a ‘multiple payment system’ as usual. It may seem incomprehensible, but this approved technology makes it possible for EVs to be charged on this basis at 400 and 800 volts. And we are not talking about ‘slow’ charging at a charging station at home or on the street, but with fast chargers from, for example, Fastened or Ionity. How does that work? A smart converter boosts any 400V input to 800V, resulting in a stable high-voltage charging cycle.

The Koreans were ahead of their time

But doesn’t the Porsche Taycan also have 800 volts? That’s right, like the Audi eTron GT, for example, although those cars – especially at the beginning – had a DC-DC converter that made up to 150 kW charge as quickly as possible in a 400V charging installation. If you did not have this inverter, you will not get more than 50 kW. In both cases, it is slower than the 270 kW capacity that the Taycan or eTron GT should have. So the Koreans were quite innovative, and for half the money.

If we look at the charging process, it basically revolves around volts and amperes. Volt (A) x ampere (A) = (kilo)watt (kW). Example: 400V x 500A = 200,000 W, or 200 kW. With this calculation we can charge a 400V car as fast as a Tesla Model 3 with a maximum of 200 kW. loss? More amperes, more heat development. And the battery does not like a lot of heat. That is, for example, why Fastned uses those thick fat-filled charging cables. And that heat, along with the inevitable energy loss, also occurs in your car’s battery, which requires additional liquid cooling.

And if we want to achieve the same power of 200 kW and 800 volts? Then the calculation changes and we see half the number of amperes: 800V x 250A = 200 kW! A little more amps? 800V x 350A = 280 kW. The result? Higher voltage means lower amperage, and therefore less heat development, less energy loss and by definition better efficiency. Because less heat is generated, this is also better for the life of your battery. But rest assured, modern EVs have active – liquid-cooled batteries, so you don’t have to worry about that either.

Faster loading, more versatile

Yet this still expensive technology offers more benefits. This way you not only enjoy faster charging, but also (in theory) lower energy consumption. The electric car also works at a high voltage of 800V, which therefore benefits from low amperage. There is less resistance and less heat loss, and therefore less energy consumption of an electric car.

The effect? The best possible series! In addition, 800 volts ensures that fast chargers can be installed with thinner cables, meaning that fewer rare and expensive materials such as copper are needed. This also applies to full internet in your car.

Welcome to Barcelona

Back to the beginning: 3000 km in the IONIQ 5. The very first Hyundai model to debut with that innovative e-GMP base. I didn’t drive those 3000 kilometers just by chance, but it was a direct result of my presence at the international press launch of the IONIQ 5 N. Not Appelscha or Tiel, but always good Barcelona. Following my Volvo XC40 trip to the Spanish capital at the end of 2023, I headed south again a few weeks ago. In style, of course, because of the IONIQ in the AWD Lounge version.

I drove the Volvo XC40 Single Motor Extended Series under similar conditions then: 1,380 kilometers with temperatures just above freezing at night and between 15 and 20 degrees during the day. Total travel time: 17 hours, including 5 charging stations. That was the end result for a civilized driving style with a speed that did not exceed 120 km/h. The XC40 also turned out to be a good commuter car and performed well in terms of quick charging, with a 10-80% charge in about 31 minutes.

There must be a difference

How was the IONIQ 5 ride? To begin with, the distance was the same except for 3 km: now it was 1383 km. And now there were five charging stations. However, I was able to make full use of the 800 volts of charging power, because after five quick charging sessions we arrived at our destination after 15 hours of travel time. Indeed, two hours faster than with Volvo.

It was a direct result of being able to maintain a high average speed (at least 130 km / h on the French Péage and sometimes 140 on the counter), but especially the rapid charge of the battery. The ability to maintain a high fast charging capacity for a long period of time was found to be very important. For example, the IONIQ 5 only needs 18 minutes to charge from 10 to 80 percent, and a few additional minutes to charge to 90 percent.

800 volts will become increasingly important

You may not experience or see the added value of 800 volts in our small country every day, but on a trip like this it makes a difference. You can achieve an average travel time of 100 km/h, especially with a better model like the IONIQ 6.

Are Hyundai, Kia and Porsche the only ones? No, XPENG also currently has an 800V motor with the G9, and with the upcoming G6 the brand will soon launch a second 800V model. In any case, one thing should be clear: especially in combination with the solid state battery, the 800V technology will play an even bigger role in the future. But before that happens, the aforementioned brands are already making this future a reality.