Switchable 400V/800V High Voltage Architecture for Ultium Battery Electric Trucks

Ultium is a next-generation electric vehicle platform built on a flexible battery architecture. It enables the production of EVs across different vehicle types with outstanding power, range, and performance options. The Battery Electric Truck (BET) is one of the architectural derivatives with multiple topological variants incorporating various battery sizes depending on vehicle requirements. Some of these options utilize a 400V to 800V reconfigurable battery pack and high voltage (HV) bus in order to provide the desired performance, efficiency and charging flexibilities while providing a compatible interface between all power converters, inverters, and energy storage systems. During charging mode, the HV bus architecture should accommodate charging from industry standard power sources up to required power levels. This paper focuses on the reconfigurable 400V/800V architecture including discussion of design tradeoffs, protection schemes and highlights simulation and test data.