The presentation of the Tesla Cybertruck surprised us on one point: the number of new technologies introduced on board the electric pick-up. Among these, the 800 volt architecture is one of the most promising, announcing reduced charging times. And in practice, the new V4 Superchargers present in France will recharge certain electric cars much more quickly.
Direction steer-by-wire, bidirectional charging, range extender and 800 volt architecture: during the presentation of the Cybertruck last week, Tesla did not skimp on new technologies for the brand. The first tests, very enthusiastic, gave us the opportunity to find out a little more.
Top Gear, for example, was able to speak with Lars Moravy, vice president in charge of engineering for the brand. The latter was more vocal regarding the recharging of the electric pick-up, particularly in terms of power and recharging duration. Indications which open the door to hypotheses on the brand’s latest Superchargers, the V4s…
From 15% to 85% in less than 20 minutes
It is in the video of the test that Lars Moravy announces the magic number: the Cybertruck can clearly go from 15% to 85% charge in 18 to 20 minutes via a maximum charging power of 350 kW, a remarkable score. Based on the estimate of a 123 kWh battery pack, the average power would be 260 kW!
A score to put into perspective with the charging performance of current Teslas: the Model Y Propulsion equipped with a BYD battery can certainly also recharge from 10 to 80% in 20 minutes compared to 25 to 30 minutes for the other versions. But the SUV is only equipped with a 60 kWh battery… A spectacular progression, enabled by one of the new technologies we talked about above: the 800 volt architecture, which is already working miracles at Kia, Hyundai and Porsche.
What about Superchargers?
The Tesla manager is clear: this score is achieved on a V4 Supercharger, the latest generations which are starting to be installed in Europe and the United States. An announcement that made us plunge into abysses of reflection: the stalls currently installed would be limited to 250 kW, because of their voltage of 400 volts, like previous generations. But we know that they are capable of much more in theory, and of increasing to 800 volts to reach 350 kW of power.
However, we do not know if the current V4 terminals are already at 800 volts, or if they are software limited to 400 volts. In this case, the arrival of the Cybertruck should force Tesla to modify the characteristics of the Superchargers in order to make them compatible with the characteristics of the electric pickup. In any case, this is good news… for some car manufacturers.
Hyundai & Kia soon to perform well once connected to Tesla?
Indeed, the Hyundai and Kia at 800 volts are extremely disadvantaged on these terminals with a power limited to 40 kW instead of the theoretical 270 kW, obviously due to poor communication between the Superchargers and the car. Switching to 800 volts could solve this problem.
A change in technology which could therefore allow Koreans to be able to charge at full power on the Tesla network. But that’s not all. The Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron GT, Lotus Eletre, Maserati Gran Turismo Folgore, Lucid Air and GMC Hummer EV can also benefit from faster charging. Which would constitute an additional argument for this network, already acclaimed for its reliability and reduced costs.
The big question now is when will other Tesla cars switch to 800 volts, to further shorten charging times.