Tuesday 18 October 2022

Can a battery charge your electric car in 10 mins?

Researchers claim they have developed a new technique that could see electric vehicles (EVs) fully charged in just 10 minutes.

A study by Penn State University claims that heating cells internally hugely improves not just the performance of charging but also the durability.

The research found that keeping batteries consistently at the correct temperature – which is hot but not too hot – can stop energy being wasted and maximise productivity.

Heating the battery internally instead of the use of large external heating and cooling systems is the most reasonable answer, they claim.

Their trial has seen a super thin nickel foil added to the battery components to regulate temperature and stimulate the battery next to the anode and cathode.

Lead author, Professor Chao-Yang Wang, said: “Since there are not enough raw minerals for every internal combustion engine car to be replaced by a 150 kWh-equipped EV, fast charging is imperative for EVs to go mainstream.”

He explained that using this technique could see any EV battery charge in 10 minutes and this would not only be more energy efficient but also environmentally friendly.

“The smaller, faster-charging batteries will dramatically cut down battery cost and usage of critical raw materials such as cobalt, graphite and lithium, enabling mass adoption of affordable electric cars,” he added.