ZF opens 800V Test & Validation facility in the UK
Most EVs are still based on 400-volt architecture. However, the benefits of switching to 800 volts are obvious. ZF hopes its new facility will help speed up the latter’s adoption, as it would significantly reduce EV charging times, for example. Combined with Silicon Carbide MOSFETs, it could even help reduce the size of the battery as “up to 10 per cent efficiency gains are possible,” ZF states.
The site will be used to test ZF’s own inverter architecture and will be made available for academic projects and other external organisations. One of the first tests conducted in Solihull was to validate a new fuel cell air compressor for truck and bus applications. “More recently, ZF CVS validated a new fuel cell Hydrogen Recirculation Blower, which the company unveiled at the IAA Transportation 2024 last month,” the company adds.
The 800V Test & Validation Laboratory spans 46 square metres. ZF says it can “accommodate anything from the smallest modules to a full E-drive truck axle.” Interlocked and monitored doors turn the laboratory into a “secure safety cell.” Moreover, ZF says the site can potentially be extended in the future to accommodate bigger components. The company emphasises that the power supply, currently able to handle 1,500 VDC at 45 kW, can be increased to 90 kW.
“OEMs want the compelling benefits of 800V but finding facilities capable of validating these higher-rated systems has not been easy,” says Adrian Mitcham, Head of Special Applications at ZF. “Just like our world-class EMC and climatic chambers on the same site, we plan to offer 800V validation services to external organisations so that more of the benefits can be realised in the wider mobility sector.”
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