The transition to 800-volt (V) electric vehicles (EVs) is one that affects the whole powertrain, including the power electronics.
In IDTechEx’s new report, Power Electronics for Electric Vehicles 2026–2036: Technologies, Markets, and Forecasts, these trends are analyzed and used to forecast the adoption of wide-bandgap semiconductors (SiC and GaN), as well as the entire power electronics market for EVs.
800-V is proven
The automotive industry is converging on 800-V platforms for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), whereas earlier generations of vehicles were 400-V. While 400-V will certainly have a role in the next decade, the advantages of 800-V platforms are undeniable and, in most cases, worth the re-engineering of the powertrain to accommodate them.
Firstly, the higher voltage means the battery can charge at greater power while using less current. For consumers who want charging to be as quick as refueling an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle, 800-V platforms can deliver greater average and peak power. While this is generally the case, other parameters in both the vehicle and the charger will determine the actual charging speed.
Secondly, because the voltage is much higher, significantly less current is required to deliver the same amount of power to the traction inverter and motor.
The result is fewer losses and greater efficiency, enabling either a small increase in range or a reduction in battery size (and, therefore, weight and cost). Both outcomes are advantageous, and SiC MOSFETs are much more efficient than Si IGBTs at 800-V due to their material and device properties, meaning the transition to 800-V EVs and SiC MOSFETs essentially go hand in hand.
Finally, since less current flows through the wiring harnesses in the vehicle, the conductor diameter can be significantly reduced. Copper is heavy and expensive, so a theoretical halving of conductor cross-section (excluding insulation and cooling requirements) delivers compounded cost and weight savings.
Even though BEVs are far more efficient than ICE vehicles, squeezing out additional efficiency at lower cost benefits consumers and OEMs, many of which have struggled with BEV profitability.
Achieving 800-V compatibility
There’s one glaring issue with building an 800-V platform EV: the majority of dc fast chargers in the world output 400-V, meaning the vehicle needs an onboard system to boost 400-V dc from the charger to 800-V dc to charge the high-voltage battery.
Without such a system, most dc chargers cannot be used. Mercedes controversially omitted an 800-V booster in its initial announcement for the Mercedes CLA EV earlier in 2025, although this decision has since been reversed.
IDTechEx has identified three key ways to achieve 400 to 800-V charging compatibility, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. While each system is complex, battery configuration switching, dc boost converters, and traction-integrated onboard chargers are the three primary approaches used by OEMs and tier-one suppliers.
Boost converters are the simplest method, in which an additional dc-dc converter is installed to raise the voltage from 400 to 800-V before it feeds the high-voltage battery. While straightforward, it’s costly to add this extra unit, especially given limited packaging space. This is the method used in the Porsche Taycan.
By reconfiguring the battery pack during charging, cells can be arranged in different series/parallel combinations to match the incoming charger voltage. The GMC Hummer and Tesla Cybertruck use variants of this technique to ensure charging compatibility.
Finally, traction-integrated onboard chargers boost voltage without requiring a separate dc-dc converter. The windings of the electric motor act as filter inductance and are repurposed to boost the incoming dc voltage from the charger. Hyundai and Kia use this approach, and multiple tier-one suppliers have developed similar methods.
Filed Under: Technology News