Article by Roomy

Editor: Zhou Changxian

There is no doubt that super-fast charging will be the winning card for next-generation smart cars.

The competition is accelerating. From the recent two technical lectures, it can be seen that both Porsche’s 800V high-voltage architecture and XPeng’s S4 super-fast charging station are promoting the same logic, making charging more convenient than fueling.

In fact, the topic of super-fast charging has been discussed for several years, and the media often describes it as a “half-time break” in the power battle. Even now, the competition between charging and swapping modes led by Tesla and NIO has not yet determined the superiority or inferiority, but super-fast charging may become a watershed in the power market.

Super-fast charging is the focal point of the 800V technology competition. As for the changes that 800V high-voltage fast chargers can bring to the new energy market, a PPT from XPeng can give some explanations: super-fast charging + long range + self-operated charging station will change the industry landscape.

At the super-power replenishment conference, XPeng was clear and blunt about his long-term goal: to “phase out hybrid models.”

XPeng believes that with the popularization of super-fast charging technology, long range, fast charging, and the “three-in-one” layout of charging piles, and batteries will be the basic goals that high-end pure electric vehicles costing over 200,000 yuan need to achieve.

BYD, which exceeded Tesla’s sales in the first half of the year with the support of DMi hybrid technology, may not be too pleased to hear this news. However, since September 2019, when Porsche Taycan sounded the horn of the 800V high-voltage architecture of electric vehicles, global automakers have been competing to enter the field, and this trend is irreversible.

However, from the specific sales figures, there is a certain gap between BYD and Tesla in the sales of pure electric vehicles, which reveals some hints. Regardless of brand, product, and other factors, there are differences in the path that BYD and Tesla take, wherein BYD does not have a self-built charging network, but Tesla does.

In other words, compared with BYD, Tesla is more convenient in the repair and energy supplement services for electric vehicles. Consequently, it can be inferred that making the charging and replenishment experience infinitely close to fueling is the goal that car manufacturers are striving for, which is also an important competitive factor.

Policy-wise, the application of high-voltage fast charging technology is strongly promoted. Academician Ouyang Ming of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has repeatedly called for solving the worries of charging. He believes that super-fast charging is the general trend, and the industry needs to promote the use of the 800V voltage platform architecture for electric vehicles.He XPeng revealed that the first vehicle model G9 based on the 800V SiC high-voltage platform will be the first domestically produced 800V vehicle model. In the understanding of “AutocarMax Travel 100 People”, this is even more stimulating than Porsche Taycan because it directly impacts the market for a large range of fuel and hybrid vehicles.

The slogan “5-minute charge, 200-kilometer endurance” may be the beginning of the turning point in the market for traditional and electric cars. Undoubtedly, super fast charging will become a significant benchmark for differentiating the experience of electric vehicles.

Everyone wants to get a taste of the 800V crab meat.

From the first-ever ultra-fast charging station for XPeng Motors’ S4, the growth path of 800V super-fast charging technology has begun to reveal itself, marking the official entry of “smart electric vehicles into a new era of 5-minute replenishment.”

What are the advantages of the 800V voltage platform? In short, its core advantages are continuous and stable high-power output, more compact and lightweight structure, shorter charging time, and relatively low difficulty in thermal management.

Previously, in order to solve the problem of replenishment and endurance, major car companies focused on battery technology and proposed two solutions for replenishment: battery swap and high-power fast charging.

NIO, the representative enterprise for swapping batteries, currently offers a 5-minute/car battery swap. Tesla, the representative for fast charging, uses a high-current scheme to achieve higher charging power by increasing current. Currently, V3 supercharging pile technology has achieved a peak current of 650V.

However, in the competition between battery swap and charging, He XPeng stated that he had already seen the development trend of the future in 2020, “super fast charging is the future, and we believe that fast charging will basically be phased out.” He arrived at this conclusion based on the actual experience of consumers.

“If you can get a very good result in 10 to 20 minutes, it is difficult to tolerate different speeds of fast charging from 30 to 90 minutes.” Compared to the experience of filling a fuel tank in just a few minutes, waiting for more than half an hour for charging is too slow, which is why hybrid vehicles have become a mainstream market force.

Since 2020, XPeng Motors has been thinking and developing in the field of super replenishment, but it does not mean that other car companies have not seen this trend.Actually, when the Porsche Taycan, the world’s first mass-produced car with an 800V high-voltage system, appeared, it shocked the industry. Supported by an 800V voltage architecture, the Porsche Taycan can be charged from 5% remaining battery level to 80% in just 30 minutes, greatly improving charging speed.

Since then, mainstream car companies with keen sense of smell have been rushing to lay out 800V high-voltage systems. The Volkswagen pure electric platform SSP, the Hyundai pure electric platform E-GMP, the BYD e3.0 platform, and the GAC A480 platform, among others, have all made great efforts in the 800V space.

Yan Jinghui, an expert at the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, believes that “if we can alleviate range anxiety, the market for pure electric vehicles is expected to further improve, which is an important reason for pure electric vehicle companies to increase their layout of 800V and super-fast charging.”

Everyone wants to taste this crab meat as soon as possible. Recently, the Alpha SHI version of the Foxconn Gharial, which is equipped with an 800V high-voltage fast-charging system, was delivered. And recently, He XPeng announced that the Xpeng G9, the first domestically produced 800V mass-produced model, will also be delivered soon, breaking the situation that for nearly three years, the Porsche Taycan was the only mass-produced car on the market with an 800V high-voltage structure.

He XPeng hopes that on Xpeng Auto’s 8th anniversary, starting with the G9 and S4 super-fast charging, it can bring some different changes to the industry and take Xpeng Auto into a new development stage.

What level is Xpeng’s S4 super-fast charging?

According to official data, the maximum power of a single pole of the S4 is 480kW, the maximum current of a single pole is 670A, and the peak charging power can reach 400kW. Theoretically, it can replenish energy for a range of 200km in just 5 minutes. Although Xpeng Auto replaced its competitors with “T” when introducing its technological leadership, everyone knows it’s Tesla.

Tesla and Xpeng represent two directions in the supercharging path. Tesla, which has mature technology, uses a high-current scheme. Compared with the V3 Supercharger, some models can charge for 15 minutes and have a range of 250km. The drawback of high-current scheme is that it needs to solve the heat management problem.# XPeng S4 Supercharge System with Porsche-like Design

The XPeng S4 Supercharge system uses a high voltage fast charging method similar to Porsche’s, known as the 800V high voltage fast charging station. This charging station includes a single post with a maximum current of 500A and a maximum power output of 350 kW. The peak charging power output is 270 kW, with the expectation to increase to 400-500 kW in future developments. XPeng S4 officially released data showing that their system is superior to current Porsche models. Another competitor in this field is known as the “P brand’s Turbo Charging Station” at the release event.

From a technological perspective, the high-voltage fast charging system better matches potential power supply requirements for the future. To ensure a greater competitive advantage in the second half of the electric vehicle market’s competition, many car manufacturers are pursuing this high voltage fast charging route.

Raising the voltage from 400V to 800V structurally seems like a small change, but in practice, it can be a significant game-changer. Currently, as the mainstream of high-voltage fast charging system, 800V Supercharger has three implementation methods: pure 800V voltage platform, 800V battery pack, and DC / DC converter, or two 400V low-voltage battery packs. Porsche Taycan adopted a complex system of DC / DC converters to merge both 400V and 800V power systems.

However, the final evolution path of 800V technology should be similar to that of battery pack technology, which started from CTP and CTB and ultimately led to the CTC battery-integrated vehicle technology. The ultimate endpoint will be on a pure 800V voltage platform.

A pure 800V voltage platform sets new standards for an electric vehicle’s high-voltage components, particularly in the material properties of the inverter power component. If you switch from a 400V platform to an 800V platform, the inverter must use SiC material MOSFET components with high voltage resistance.

SiC (silicon-carbide) is one of the representatives of the third-generation semiconductor technology with remarkable advantages, such as high breakdown electric field, high thermal conductivity, high electron saturation rate, and strong radiation resistance. Traditionally, the withstand voltage limit of IGBT devices used in inverters was 600-700 V. Once the platform is upgraded to 800V, SiC, which has a stronger voltage resistance, will become the new selection.

“SiC will replace IGBT in the future, but it will take some time,” is a common understanding in the technology industry. However, the high cost of SiC materials is currently a significant barrier to further implementation. The price of SiC materials is known to be eight times higher than that of the same class of IGBTs.The cost of batteries in pure electric vehicles is currently the highest, accounting for about 40% of the total vehicle cost. If all inverters adopt SiC materials, the cost will be comparable to that of the battery. It is difficult for car companies in the transitional period to bear this cost pressure, and it is also difficult to apply to economical electric vehicle models.

Of course, some car companies and car models can. For example, BYD has a complete value chain layout and has independently developed SiC technology, which can control costs to some extent. The high price of Porsche Taycan, which exceeds one million yuan, can cover the high cost of SiC. However, it is also considered that the brand premium is high, so it is more arbitrary in cost control. In 2018, Tesla replaced the IGBT module with a silicon carbide module for the first time in the Model 3. As the earliest vehicle equipped with SiC, it is now undergoing cost sharing through considerable global sales.

The cost pressure of SiC is just one aspect of 800V, including battery, electric drive, high-voltage accessories, and wiring systems, which all need to go through a process of research and development, matching, and verification. It must also cooperate with the landing of energy replenishment infrastructure to form a systematic closed loop. It is another thing that cannot be played without money.

The former CEO of Continental Group once commented on the charging experience of Taycan, saying, “If I manage to connect to an 800V ultra-fast charging station, the charging speed is very fast, and I can charge 40 kWh of power in just 10 minutes.” Currently, there are few charging stations that support 800V high-voltage supercharging in the global electric vehicle market.

Under the pressure of cost and the layout of charging stations, XPeng Motors has released the S4 super-fast charging pile and the supporting XPeng G9, the first mass-produced car model in China based on the 800V high-voltage SiC platform. This is a very courageous thing, different from the energy imagination brought by Porsche’s 800V high-voltage architecture.

“The fast charging cannot be improved too much. This is why my first judgement of the trend of technology, whether it can be done, whether it is expensive or not, can it be constructed. After judging these points, I think that supercharging piles can be promoted and fully laid out in the second half of this year.” Intelligent cars rely on technology. As He XPeng has always insisted, “Intelligent cars must never stop innovating.”

So, what is the unit price of an S4 charging pile?He XPeng did not answer, but he revealed that future supercharging stations will basically be one station with four charging piles, medium-sized stations will have eight piles, and in the future there may be some extra-large stations with dozens of piles.

It is evident that in terms of supercharging, XPeng Motors is committed and even spare no effort in terms of cost. Ultimately, the goal is twofold: to innovate technology and increase future competitiveness, and to promote the continuous popularization of electric vehicles in the market.

In the third quarter of this year, XPeng Motors plans to start deploying S4 super fast charging equipment from the top ten cities in G9 orders, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Next year, S4 super fast charging network coverage will be completed in key cities and core highways across the country.

“Starting from G9 onwards, all new models or updated models will strive to make super fast charging standard in all systems, with S3 and S4 charging as the core within this system.”

Behind He XPeng’s words lies the determination to solve the pain points of charging and promote the popularization of electric vehicles.

Phasing out hybrids?

Why is XPeng G9’s mass production more stimulating in terms of the landing of the 800V technology of the Porsche Taycan?

“For cars in the mid to high-end with a price of more than 200,000 yuan, super fast charging, high endurance and self-operated charging stations, we are very confident that we will change the entire market pattern.” He XPeng gave a clear and direct goal, “phasing out hybrids.”

He did some calculations. From the perspective of the entire second half of the year, the sales proportion of new energy vehicles may reach more than 25%. What does this mean? It means that out of every 100 car buyers, 25 people may choose new energy vehicles, and out of these 25 people, roughly 20 people may choose pure electric vehicles.

Looking at this 25% sales proportion from the perspective of the entire market, there are some clear changes.

For cars priced below 100,000 yuan, the current situation is that gasoline vehicles are being rapidly replaced by pure electric vehicles.

In the 100,000 to 200,000 yuan range, the changes are different. Hybrids became more prominent last year, including plug-in hybrids. The models in this price range usually have limited endurance and cannot be too expensive. It may take two to three years for pure electric vehicle models to balance cost, endurance, and convenience, including the fall in battery prices, and the emergence of new technologies.

For models over 200,000 yuan, there is an interesting change, with the pure electric vehicle model growth rate being relatively the fastest. For SUVs over 300,000 yuan, there are new changes due to endurance issues and concerns about charging anxiety, such as replacing batteries, using hybrid engines, or using fast charging.

With the emergence of S4 super-fast charging, He XPeng is focusing on the price range of models over 200,000 yuan, which is currently the starting price range for SiC equipped vehicle options.He believes that “fast charging will bring about an explosion in sales of pure electric vehicles priced above 200,000 yuan.” Hybrid models in this price range will be replaced by electric vehicle models as pain points such as charging and range are further addressed. This includes hybrid products from companies such as Huawei’s Wanjie M5, Great Wall, BYD, and Geely.

With this prediction, He XPeng has set several baseline targets. Firstly, the range must be long. For mid-to high-end or high-end cars, the range should achieve 700 kilometers (CIDC), which is equivalent to a real range of 500-550 kilometers (WTP conversion). The standard range should achieve 550 kilometers, which is equivalent to the performance of most gasoline cars.

Secondly, charging should be fast. “For cars priced above 200,000 yuan, I believe that fast charging is a must.” Many people feel that it takes about 7 to 8 hours to charge back and forth for a trip, which is unacceptable.

Finally, the charging layout should be optimized. The layout of the car, battery, and charging station should be “three-in-one”. Once this is achieved, the market landscape will be completely different.

“We believe that the next generation of mid-to high-end electric vehicles will basically require fast charging as a basic requirement. Previously, it took about an hour to charge the car from 10% to 80%, but with supercharging, it can be done in 20 to 30 minutes.” He XPeng is trying to use the innovative formula of “fast charging + long range + self-operated charging station” to “eliminate hybrids”.

He XPeng revealed that “in 2020, we considered whether to develop hybrid technology and after lengthy discussions, we finally decided to abandon it.” The release of the Super Charge-up technology once again confirmed XPeng’s confidence in following the pure electric path.

Of course, he also candidly stated that the current planning is somewhat lagging behind, and he hopes to lower costs after the scale expands. “In other words, it’s particularly expensive just starting out.”

Therefore, the XPeng G9, as the initial model, has a significant responsibility. To a large extent, the success of the XPeng G9 will determine the speed of the S4 supercharging layout.

However, XPeng’s formula for “eliminating hybrids” has yet to be fully implemented, and it has already “offended” the companies that are aggressively deploying the hybrid market. For example, Li Xiang, the head of Ideal Auto, one third of the “Wei Xiaoli” iron triangle, directly stated that “range-extending hybrids are still the best solution for SUVs within the next 5 years.”

The tension is palpable.

Five years later, will Li Xiang’s “best solution” prevail, or will He XPeng’s “innovative formula” win by a move? The focus still lies within the XPeng G9.To reach the next step of popularizing 800V high-voltage fast charging technology, we need to sell enough vehicles to break even on costs.

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.