These EVs have 800V charging: Why it’s better with or without Tesla’s NACS

The 800-volt DC fast-charging that a handful of electric vehicles on the market are capable of at this point is widely seen as a technology advantage. 

But not a single Tesla currently offers it. Nor does the Tesla Supercharger network in the U.S.

The odd thing about charging at 800 volts or higher, versus the 400 volts most EVs fast-charge at, is that when you’re plugged in at the charger, you might not even know it’s happening. Most vehicles or chargers that enable it don’t mark the occasion—outside of allowing some very fast charging in ideal conditions.

2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 fast-charging – Lacey, WA

Most modern DC fast-charging equipment defaults to higher-voltage charging when the vehicle allows it, because it means you can deliver the same charge power with less current—and less resistance and heat, bringing a hands-on benefit of thinner, lighter connectors or cables for the power delivered. 

In most cases though, any vehicles and chargers capable of this take advantage of it by instead upping the charge power and shortening the charge time. Ultimately the cells charge at the same voltage no matter what, so it’s all about the pack architecture and what’s done with the electrical current.

This advantage may also get a little muddled in the rush toward the Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS) port, and I’ll explain why. But first, there’s some confusion to clear up. 

Porsche 800-volt charging stations installed at dealer

Where the 800V confusion starts

800-volt charging is not to be confused with 800-volt vehicle architectures—permitting motors, inverters, and other core components to run at higher voltage. That offers a different set of efficiency, performance, and weight-saving advantages, especially in tandem with high-voltage charging. 

Although an 800-volt architecture helps maximize all those benefits, it isn’t necessary to reap what matters the most right now to a number of EV shoppers looking at road-trip viability—and how quickly they might get electrons into position in the battery pack’s cells. 

GM’s GMC Hummer EV, for instance, runs at 400 volts, and each layer of its dual-layer battery pack operates in some ways as an individual pack. In 400-volt charging, the packs are connected in parallel, but for 800-volt charging a switch allows them to be connected in series—like the cells in a long, multi-cell flashlight—to take advantage of the higher voltage. 

That 800-volt “trick” permits the Hummer EV pickup, with its 205-kwh battery pack, to charge at 350 kw and gain nearly 100 miles of range in 10 minutes—despite its 400-volt system and its inefficiency compared to other EVs. And the big double-decker packs in the Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV will charge the same way. 

Tesla Supercharger

Why 800V matters more now than it did earlier this year

In recent weeks various automakers, most recently Mercedes-Benz, have stepped up to embrace Tesla’s NACS port. In its present V3 iteration, Tesla Supercharging tops out at 500 volts, and with the V4 hardware that the Tesla Cybertruck will take advantage of, Tesla will offer 1,000-volt capability, with a maximum power of 615 kw—and eventually 1,000 kw. 

The Combined Charging System (CCS) is the port that, at present, comes on nearly all U.S.-market, non-Tesla EVs. It can deliver 350 amps of charge current at a voltage of up to 1000 volts—amounting to a standard maximum output of 350 kw. 400-kw CCS hardware is being made, and 700-kw hardware has been demonstrated.