Tesla revamped its Model Y to make it easier to manufacture, using a structural package, new format 4680 cellsand the front and rear body parts are molded very large.
Despite that innovation, the transition to 800-volt architecture isn’t planned any time soon for any of Tesla’s smaller models. But based on comments from CEO Elon Musk and CTO Drew Baglino during the company’s Q1 call with analysts and investors on Wednesday, that’s a distinct possibility for the Cybertruck, Semi, and any other vehicle. greater capacity or higher any other.
“There’s nothing really encouraging us to do that on that platform,” explains Baglino of the Model 3 and Model Y. “It’s really about mass and power… and when you look at the big cars. over, there are some advantages.”
2022 Tesla Series (Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.)
Baglino calls it case-by-case consideration – that “there are some wins and losses with 800 volts; not everything is better”.
Musk also explained that many years from now it might be reasonable to use 800V, “but it really takes a huge amount of vehicles to pay for the cost that varies from 400 to 800 volts.”
“On larger vehicles, where you are talking about higher power on the charging side, or higher power from the battery to the electronics, or you need more torque, so the current requirements increase. up, there’s a bit of semiconductor and more practical wiring savings. Baglino said. “And so we consider that for the Semi and the Cybertruck.”
Tesla Semi (Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.)
The company had a little more time on both of those products. First citing battery problems, then more recently supply chain delays and chip shortages, Tesla delayed both of those products—Along with the new Roadster — to 2023.
At Tesla’s recent official opening for the giant Texas factory, Musk promised those products next year, while also teasing a “quite futuristic” Robotaxi a project that – he clarified during the call – aims to harness the self-driving capabilities of automakers while cutting cost-per-mile below subsidized public transport costs.
But don’t expect Robotaxi to go 800V either. For the 3/Y platform, where we have everything working, the benefit is very small,” added Baglino, and Musk joked that “it’s basically zero for Robotaxi. “
However, other automakers that don’t have to factor in the “legacy costs” of upgrading Tesla’s Supercharger network may come to some different conclusions.
Tesla Supercharger V3 Station, Las Vegas
Baglino’s explanations – for investors – focus almost entirely on the cost of the vehicle, not the performance. Meanwhile, rival electric vehicle maker Lucid has emphasized that efficiency (in terms of both energy and packaging) is what motivated its choice over 900 volts, with the performance advantages derived from that fundamental decision. As Porsche discovered its Taycan, sourcing a whole system of components Getting the most out of that 800 volt potential can be especially challenging — part of the reason Lucid turned to designing a full set of core components in the home.
The 800-volt pack layout will allow for faster charging. Before the Supercharger V3 technology, Musk seemed to have teased that possibility with the 350kw charging idea back in 2016, when he tweeted: “Only 350 kw … what are you referring to, a mere children’s toy?”
Most executives have reached a consensus that higher voltage systems are the future – especially for larger performance vehicles and models. As of September 2020, Delphi provider confirmed widespread change to 800V . system for luxury electric vehicles to come into effect in 2025.
