00:00
Welcome back to EV news daily. Welcome to the tech sheet, the name I give to special bonus episodes
00:04
that looks at the tech behind the world of electric vehicles. And today is part two,
00:09
wider cutting edge EV still have a 12 volt battery. Well, yesterday on the podcast,
00:14
we told you about the era of six volt dominance, how it moved to 12 volts, the failed attempts to
00:20
go to 42 volts in the 1990s, bridging the gap between your traction battery and the low voltage
00:28
battery, critical functions of why you even have a 12 volt system inside your EV power
00:33
management, charging systems, components and supply chains, plus the considerations of going to 48
00:40
volts and why Tesla is trying to persuade the industry to do exactly that. If you missed any
00:46
of those topics there on yesterday's part one of this little series, I guess a two part series,
00:52
I admit, as we look today at part two of why your cutting edge EV has the old fashioned 12 volt
00:59
battery. A reminder, our bonus shows are exclusively for Patreon supporters for the first seven days,
01:04
only Patreon insiders get early access, their name on the list of legends for executive producers
01:09
and above, and the power to shape future shows. If being in the know and supporting my work sounds
01:16
like something you'd like to do, no pressure, zero pressure, but if you want to feel free to
01:22
have a look at patreon.com, p-a-t-r-e-o-n.com slash EV news daily to be part of something really
01:28
special, the incredible people that get this show on the air every single day. Now this is part two
01:36
of our look at the 48 volts move that Tesla is trying to do. I left you yesterday by telling you
01:43
about the Cybertruck 48 volt architecture and having to redesign themselves as part of a very
01:51
vertically integrated company. Because you can't just, if you're launching the Cybertruck on a 48
01:56
volt system, open up the parts catalogue. It's online obviously these days, but I like the image
02:02
of sitting down with, you know, a catalogue and flicking through. What do we need? One of those,
02:07
two of those, you know, 200 of those, the wiring, the switches, the components. There are 48 volt
02:13
things out there, but just not in the way that Tesla needed. So much like the automotive industry of
02:18
the 1950s, when we moved from six volts to 12 volts, they had to do a lot themselves. Tesla's 48
02:25
volt architecture demonstrates high voltage systems potential when properly implemented.
02:30
If you quadruple the voltage, you can deliver the same power at a quarter of the current.
02:38
And that creates, it's literally cascading benefits throughout the entire vehicle.
02:43
This is why Tesla's a really big fan of moving to a higher voltage, low voltage system, if that
02:49
makes sense. Wire harness weight, that's a really big deal. That's probably the most tangible benefit
02:56
that most people would understand in the world of EVs because weight is efficiency, isn't it?
03:01
Sandy Munro, quite famous for providing tear down services in different sectors,
03:07
he looked at the Cybertruck and revealed a 73% wiring weight reduction versus 12 volt systems,
03:16
with 78% overall weight savings when combined with the Ethernet based communication system.
03:24
These reductions are particularly valuable in EVs, every pound translates into performance
03:28
and range. Efficiency improvements extend beyond weight savings to reduced resistive losses in
03:35
electrical distribution. Power losses are proportional to current squared, so reducing
03:40
current by four results in approximately 16 fold power loss reductions. Now for EVs,
03:48
efficiency directly impacts range. Tesla are amazing at eking out every last amp power,
03:57
watt hour. These translate to meaningful performance and improvements, which ultimately
04:03
means a more satisfied consumer. Tesla's 48 volt system enables new technologies
04:09
impractical with 12 volt systems. The Cybertruck has steer by wire, that in itself, not just electrical
04:17
power steering, but a steer by wire system would stress a 12 volt system. This eliminates the
04:23
mechanical connection between what you hold in your hands and what the wheels are doing on the road.
04:30
That requires substantial electrical power if it's going to be reliable. This system demands
04:35
approximately three times the electrical power of maybe what an American house was pulling in
04:41
the early 1970s. This is how much power we need. 48 volts was essential for that technology.
04:49
Despite significant advantages, Tesla's 48 volt system required addressing numerous tech
04:56
challenges. Illustrating voltage system transition is really complex. Primary challenges involve
05:03
maintaining compatibility with the existing 12 volt stuff that's out there where the conversion
05:09
didn't justify development. I left you on part one yesterday talking about it wasn't an all or
05:14
nothing with the Tesla Cybertruck. It was a hybrid approach. Less frequently used components,
05:20
seat motors. I mean, how often do you change your seat? Maybe if you share a vehicle with
05:26
your partner, every time each of you gets in, the seat might move. If it reads your key or your phone
05:31
or the door lock actuators, things like that. They're not used every second of the journey,
05:38
so they can remain on 12 volts due to supplier cost dynamics and efficiencies.
05:43
The required power management systems between voltage levels had to be worked out for reliability
05:51
and safety. Developing 48 volt components meant Tesla had to work closely with its suppliers
05:55
or even do its own thing. Like I said, power window motors required custom 48 volt designs
06:01
needing collaboration with its suppliers like a bros, I think it was. While still using traditional
06:08
DC designs, higher voltage operation allows reduced wire gauge more efficiency. Safety
06:14
considerations for a 48 volt system needs attention as higher voltages, well below the
06:19
dangerous thresholds, it doesn't require all the orange high voltage cable shielding that you see
06:26
if you look underneath the bonnet of your EV. Do require different handling procedures, safety
06:31
and training. Tesla addressed concerns through different connector designs, including industry
06:37
standard light blue coloring for the 48 volt connectors, enhanced secondary locking systems
06:42
and robust sealing, preventing any moisture ingress. So what are the benefits and what are
06:48
the challenges of doing what Tesla did with the Cybertruck? Why don't all car makers go,
06:53
oh that's better, we'll do it that way. Well, technical and economic benefits of 48 volt extend
07:01
across all the different bits of vehicle design and operation, creating a really compelling argument
07:05
for an industry wide adoption. Most immediately apparent is the electrical efficiency and
07:11
material usage, but implications reach deeper than that. Material efficiency represents the most
07:17
well in the most quantifiable 48 volt system benefit. Current reduction requirements enable
07:24
a lot smaller wire gauges throughout the vehicle, substantial copper saving, Cybertruck copper content
07:30
was reduced by approximately 100 pounds by going 48 volts. That at 320, say 320 dollars per vehicle
07:40
is not a massive cost saving, but at the scale Tesla works at or at least they wanted to sell
07:46
that many Cybertrucks is a significant saving. Multiplied across annual production volumes
07:52
of everything that maybe Tesla made, if they all went 48 volts, are material savings in terms of
07:59
hundreds of millions of dollars, if not more. Weight reduction benefits extend beyond the
08:04
raw material savings to include secondary effects on vehicle performance and efficiency.
08:08
In EVs where weight is everything, Tesla's 73% wiring harness reduction represents a meaningful
08:16
improvement. These weight savings also reduce structural requirements. Think about vehicle
08:22
suspension and chassis components, creating additional cost and weight optimization as well.
08:28
Manufacturing efficiency improvements represent another significant system advantage of going 48
08:33
volts. Traditional 12 volt wiring harnesses require extensive manual labor for things like assembly,
08:40
routing the cables and and even just connecting them all up as well as thick wire gauges are
08:46
difficult to manipulate and and route through a really complex vehicle structure. A thinner wire
08:53
with 48 volt allows increased automation in harness manufacturing and installation reducing
08:59
labor, improving consistency. And beyond the efficiency improvements, 48 volt systems would
09:05
enable entirely new technology in practical or impossible with 12 volts. High power accessories
09:10
previously needing either mechanical operation, maybe hydraulic operation could go electrical,
09:16
providing improved precision, reduced maintenance requirements, better vehicle system integration,
09:22
active suspension systems are a really good example that I can think of initially as 48 volts
09:28
power benefits. Bentley, Audi, Porsche, they've all done 48 volt powered active suspension systems.
09:38
What they do is they counteract body roll in the turns so you get better ride quality,
09:42
they adapt to road conditions, but these systems are really power hungry. They require substantial
09:48
electrical power for rapid actuator response and they had to use 48 volts for that. Electric
09:57
would provide efficiencies, traditional turbochargers use exhaust gases in engines,
10:04
creating acceleration like you could in the old world of combustion use more 48 volt systems to
10:11
provide boost pressure immediately, eliminating turbo lag, making engines at the end of their
10:17
life cycle, the next 20 years or so as we say goodbye to combustion. Mercedes-Benz have done
10:23
something in several models using 48 volt power to drive things like compressors for boost response.
10:29
Advanced driver assistance systems, ADAS, autonomous driving increasingly require
10:35
a lot of sensors in China, a load of LiDAR, nearly all cars a ton of compute and even actuator power.
10:43
Power requirements exceed what 12 volts can do, making 48 volts just sufficient really for
10:49
the next level of ADAS whilst maintaining safety voltage thresholds.
10:54
So there are loads of clear advantages to doing what Tesla asked the industry to do two years ago.
11:00
Please think about implementing 48 volt, but there's a reason they haven't,
11:05
technical, economic, logistical challenges. If you've missed part one, then I'll quickly recap.
11:12
This is the existing automotive supply chain, billions of dollars, hundreds, probably billions
11:17
of dollars over the years cumulatively have been spent on the supply chain of building facilities
11:23
and knowledge that make 12 volt stuff. Component availability represents immediate practical
11:30
barriers. So if you make an EV, if you're an OEM and you make an EV, should we go 48 volts?
11:36
Okay, can we get all the bits we want from our existing suppliers? Do we need new supply chains?
11:41
There are development costs, minimum order qualities, things like that. Scale will bring it down.
11:47
Electromagnetic compatibility, EMC considerations, no one ever talks about that.
11:52
They become more complex with 48 volt systems, higher voltages and faster switching frequencies
11:56
can generate increased EMC interference. And so while challenges, they're all solvable,
12:02
all fixable problems, but require engineering and testing to ensure automotive EMC compliance.
12:09
I mean, even AM radio, there's this campaign of let's not hurt AM radio with electric vehicles,
12:17
kind of crazy. By the way, I have a like 25 year career in broadcast radio before I started
12:24
this podcast as my only career now. So I used to work an AM radio station, like I'm not anti AM
12:31
radio, but come on, in a digital IP connected world, should we not move forward with clean
12:37
green transport because there's an AM radio lobby cost considerations are also really important.
12:43
48 volt systems can reduce material costs. I've established that reduced copper usage,
12:48
but initial development component pricing premium manufacturing process changes
12:53
that all ramps up the cost before it comes down. 48 volt is the long game safety and service
13:01
considerations are some of the biggest long game in the automotive industry. If you make a vehicle
13:05
today, that's great. Now it has to be service for 10, 15, 20 years and the rest. So shock hazards
13:12
need to be minimized. It's 48 volts. So it's fine. It's safe, but different service and training
13:18
procedures and safety protocols for a vehicle that is then in service for decades, service
13:24
technicians, diagnostic equipment, all of that needs updating. Automotive industry 48 volt technology
13:32
is out there. I'm not pretending that Tesla's the only one doing it tends to be led primarily by
13:37
the European premium manufacturers putting in mild hybrid applications rather than
13:42
the whole vehicle level architecture. This reflects maybe a conservative strategy
13:47
to do things piecemeal Audi pioneered 48 volt systems back in 2016. The sq seven came out and
13:54
that had a really sophisticated mild hybrid system that I think was only 48 volt power
13:59
for the electric supercharger, the active suspension, the sq seven had a lithium ion 48
14:05
volt battery, a belt driven alternator starter and another 12 kilowatts of additional acceleration
14:11
power. Mercedes Benz adopted 48 volt mild hybrid systems across their model line,
14:17
clse class s class, the the three liter engines they had all included 48 volts power to replace
14:25
things like mechanical belt drives and accessories like air conditioning compressors and coolant
14:31
pumps. This allows the systems to continue operating when engines shut off during stop
14:38
start operation then the cabin comfort is not affected. BMW was pretty aggressive actually
14:44
with 48 volt back in the day with over 50 models incorporating their 48 volt starter generators.
14:50
BMW systems provide another 10 horsepower eight kilowatts during starting and acceleration
14:57
moments while supporting the engine workload. The company strategy focuses on 48 volt systems
15:04
in its combustion range to make them better. But if you look at the Asian automakers,
15:11
they did it with a bit more caution actually focusing on specific applications where benefits
15:16
outweighed the cost of implementing. So if I think about Hyundai and Kia, they went 48 volt in
15:23
their mild hybrids like Tucson, Santa Fe, Seats, Sportage with diesel engines where efficiency
15:31
benefits are probably the most pronounced. Toyota of course 48 volt mild hybrids, Land Cruiser,
15:38
Hilux, a departure from their hybrid powertrain focus, but again using turbo diesels 48 volts
15:47
systems with some DC DC conversion designed for simple existing powertrain integration
15:52
while maintaining the compatibility to operate what they say in extreme conditions like water
15:59
wading and stuff like that. Hyundai announced ambitious plans to go to 48 volt architecture by
16:04
the end of the decade. That is probably the most comprehensive voltage system transition
16:08
from the major OEMs. The strategy involves working with suppliers to start building a 48 volt
16:16
component ecosystem whilst maintaining profitability. Hyundai's approach to applications beyond
16:24
automotive extending 48 volt technology to things like their robotics like Boston Dynamics,
16:30
that's all under them as well now for component development is going to help with things like
16:35
economies of scale. Let's talk about the market and how it could adopt how the cars that we drive
16:40
not tomorrow but in time could all be using the next generation of low voltage technology.
16:45
We'll take a quick break. I'll have a slurp of coffee. We'll finish off and round out
16:50
the end of part two of this two part series on why your cutting edge EV still has 70 year old
16:58
12 volt technology. Stick around back in a moment.
17:03
Okay, welcome back to the podcast. Let's finish off part four if you like as it's a two part series
17:09
on our low voltage systems in our EVs. The automotive 48 volt system market had a big
17:15
growth recently. Projections also show expansion from 6.47 billion to 36 billion over the next six
17:24
or seven years a 24 25% compound annual growth rate. So various movement in the low voltage
17:31
system in automotive growth is driven by emissions regulations fuel efficiency requirements and
17:37
modern vehicle power demands. European markets have been leading 48 volt adoption because of
17:42
more stringent CO2 emissions regulations with mild hybrid systems economically attractive now
17:47
to meet those regulations. The European Commission's plan to reduce automotive emissions by almost 40%
17:53
by the end of the decade is an incentive to make that jump to 48 volt. Market research indicates
18:00
48 volt systems will appear in maybe a fifth of all vehicles sold globally this year again not the
18:06
entire vehicle architecture but some parts of it. Well Tesla's decision to share their 48 volt
18:13
implementation with the world was a really big moment. I think a lot of people interpreted this
18:20
as a little bit of maybe Elon Musk bravado saying we know how to do it better than everyone so
18:27
let me remind you when they launched the cyber truck they also wrote they wrote the book on 48
18:33
volt they effectively wrote a guide called how to design a 48 volt vehicle and he said oh I've
18:42
sent it to all the other automotive CEOs so they can have a good read of it. I think people again
18:47
dismissed it as Mr Musk being well you know the showman and all those kind of things but
18:53
that's a remarkable strategic thing to do to raise that I think with the wider public the
19:00
attention that Tesla and the CEO can captivate people sometimes I don't think they kind of
19:05
realized how important that was and then after the launch it seemingly all went away. So the
19:14
initiative confirmed at the time by people like the Ford CEO Jim Farley acknowledged as well by
19:20
Elon Musk afterwards demonstrates how Tesla have confidence in their tech but want to transform
19:26
the industry and no doubt Tesla's got skin in the game document it's never been shared as far as I
19:31
know I did a lot of research for this podcast series I couldn't find that document online but
19:37
documentation sharing has happened some of the detailed technical specifications have appeared
19:43
online you can't guarantee that that is true sections of it have appeared online you can't
19:49
guarantee the authenticity of that Ford CEO Jim Farley's confirmation that Tesla sent the
19:56
how to design a 48 volt vehicle documents to him validate the reports that do seem to make this
20:02
credible Farley's response that Ford's next-gen team has been on a similar path suggests that look
20:07
all out to automakers are looking at this Tesla's motivation for sharing the documentation with other
20:13
CEOs extends beyond just being you know altruistic the primary drivers appear to be Tesla's recognition
20:21
that if they want to do what they want to do with their vehicles so the steer by wire that the high
20:27
voltage stuff they need a component production ecosystem you know economies of scale that reduce
20:34
Tesla's costs they can't do it alone by encouraging competitors to also go 48 volt
20:40
it establishes the market it drives supplier investment it brings the cost down automotive
20:45
industry responses to the 48 volt documentation sharing has been positive in public statements
20:51
revealing the underlying skepticism perhaps about how practical the idea is Jim Farley
20:58
Ford CEO's that it was great for the industry and proposed some more collaboration to help the
21:03
supply base move to 48 volts however industry analysts analysis suggests the positive public
21:11
statements out there kind of mask these more significant concerns about how practical it is
21:18
we can kind of cope with 12 volts we've worked out ways to make 12 volt work in an EV world
21:26
legacy automakers have a different challenge and constraints to Tesla so existing model lines many
21:31
more models established supplier relationships some of them have more complex manufacturing
21:37
all designed around 12 volt supplier ecosystem responses were a lot more cautious by the way
21:43
reflecting the reality that if you're a component manufacturer you can't just
21:46
up sticks and go 48 volt overnight without significant investments and all of them are
21:51
working on razor thin margins two years after Tesla's cyber truck launch and the document
21:57
sharing initiative the automotive industry has not adopted a 48 volt EV plan it's not even been
22:04
discussed publicly it reveals a fundamental structural barrier that extends far beyond
22:11
just the technical considerations 12 volt systems persistence across the entire industry really
22:17
demonstrates how complex it is for the economies the technical side the organizational factor
22:24
in building an electric vehicle automotive supply chains represent the most significant
22:32
industry you know out there in terms of the the entire industry in terms of going 48 volt it's
22:38
the supply chain that would need to change the OEMs can say yeah this is a great idea we'll design
22:42
our vehicles differently unlike Tesla which maintains significant vertical integration and you
22:48
close working relationships with their suppliers and component manufacturing some of the traditional
22:54
automakers rely more heavily on either established supplier networks that have invested billions
23:00
like I say in 12 volt or they simply cannot work so closely with them to do it together scale of
23:07
supply chain challenges becomes apparent considering thousands of different components required for
23:12
modern EV production from a simple switch to a complex module it all has to be redone financial
23:19
analysis of the 48 volt system reveals complex trade-offs of making short-term transitions 48
23:25
volt offers long-term advantages efficiencies costs and things like that and vehicle performance
23:29
like the EVs would be better in time but development costs extend far beyond just the components
23:37
you know deep vehicle level integration testing validation even safety certification competitive
23:43
dynamic surrounding 48 volts adoption reveal how established industry leaders may publicly say
23:49
yeah we're looking at this it all makes sense let's collaborate even the technology offers clear
23:54
advantages but when it hits the bottom line are they going to transform their business even take
24:01
a hit in the short term when so many of them are looking at quarterly share prices and profit
24:06
targets and things like that the automotive industry's measured response to Tesla's plan
24:11
to go 48 volts highlights the potential evolution in the automotive industry hybrid architecture
24:19
is one thing and that's where they have gone 48 volts but to follow Tesla and entirely change
24:26
the way that you design a vehicle well that hasn't been forthcoming ultimately the way the car
24:32
industry works with 12 volt batteries even in a cutting-edge EV reveals this complex
24:38
interplay between we want to innovate and do amazing things but also there are established
24:44
systems that we have to stick to and for now while the future likely holds maybe a 48 volts
24:51
broader adoption transition is going to be measured in decades rather than years reflecting a
24:59
profound challenge as we go to EV and that's your podcast for today check out if you haven't
25:04
heard the first part I'm sure that's gonna make sense if you listen to that first in your feed
25:08
compared to what I've just talked about but either way round I hope you've enjoyed it thank you so
25:12
much for listening and I'll see you on the next one
