Ford hints that its next generation of electric vehicles will use an 800V fast-charging architecture

According to news on February 29, in order to gain a foothold in the fierce electric vehicle market, Ford Motor is planning to introduce an 800V fast charging architecture for its next-generation electric vehicles in order to catch up with competitors.

Ford CEO Jim Farley said after the release of the fourth-quarter earnings report that the company was forced to make changes due to "dramatic changes" in the electric vehicle market.

Farley pointed out that the two main reasons for the change in the market structure are: first, the significant price cuts by electric vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla, and second, the large influx of capital and production capacity into the compact crossover vehicle segment, which is also Ford The market segment in which Mustang Mach-E is located is its best-selling electric vehicle market.

Although the Mach-E is the second-best-selling electric SUV after the Tesla Model Y, competitors such as the Hyundai IONIQ 5 are eating into its market share. While Mach-E sales increased 4.6% year-over-year in the fourth quarter, with 11,369 units sold, Hyundai IONIQ 5 sales surged 92% to 8,612 units in the United States.

Farley said the next generation of electric vehicles will have "groundbreaking efficiencies" compared to current models and be "packed with innovative features that customers are willing to pay a premium for."

Currently, Ford says that the standard range version of the Mach-E can use a DC charging pile with a maximum output of 107 kW to charge from 10% to 80% in 38 minutes. The long-lasting version takes about 45 minutes. Based on Hyundai's proprietary 800V E-GMP platform, Hyundai IONIQ 5 can cut charging time in half, charging from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes.

According to a new Ford patent, the company appears to be introducing 800V fast-charging technology for its next generation of electric vehicles in a bid to close the gap with rivals.

The patent was released on February 27, 2024, and is titled "Multi-voltage electrical architecture for electric vehicles." It describes in detail the 800V fast charging system developed by Ford for electric vehicles, which uses a multi-voltage charging circuit, including two voltage levels of 400V and 800V.

Earlier this month, Ford CEO also mentioned that the company was developing a low-cost electric vehicle platform. Farley said Ford has assembled a "talented team" to do so, and while the team is small, it includes, according to Farley, "some of the best electric vehicle engineers in the world." General Motors (GM) Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson said the company will save dozens of dollars by launching the next-generation Bolt EV on its Ultium platform rather than developing a separate low-cost system. One hundred million U.S. dollars.