This 10-min fast-charging battery was developed for electric cars, with the black box on the top containing a battery management system to control the module.
CREDIT: EC Power
Researchers develop new technique that charges EV battery in just 10 minutes
A breakthrough in electric vehicle battery design has enabled a 10-minute charge time for a typical EV battery. The record-breaking combination of a shorter charge time and more energy acquired for longer travel range was announced today (Oct. 12) in the journal Nature.
“The need for smaller, faster-charging batteries is greater than ever,” said Chao-Yang Wang, the William E. Diefenderfer Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Penn State and lead author on the study. “There are simply not enough batteries and critical raw materials, especially those produced domestically, to meet anticipated demand.”
In August, California’s Air Resources Board passed an extensive plan to restrict and ultimately ban the sale of gasoline-powered cars within the state. By 2035, the largest auto market in the United States will effectively retire the internal combustion engine.
If new car sales are going to shift to battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs), Wang explained, they’ll need to overcome two major drawbacks: they are too slow to recharge and too large to be efficient and affordable. Instead of taking a few minutes at the gas pump, depending on the battery, some EVs can take all day to recharge.
“Our fast-charging technology works for most energy-dense batteries and will open a new possibility to downsize electric vehicle batteries from 150 to 50 kWh without causing drivers to feel range anxiety,” said Wang, whose lab partnered with State College-based startup EC Power to develop the technology. “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.”
The technology relies on internal thermal modulation, an active method of temperature control to demand the best performance possible from the battery, Wang explained. Batteries operate most efficiently when they are hot, but not too hot. Keeping batteries consistently at just the right temperature has been major challenge for battery engineers. Historically, they have relied on external, bulky heating and cooling systems to regulate battery temperature, which respond slowly and waste a lot of energy, Wang said.
Wang and his team decided to instead regulate the temperature from inside the battery. The researchers developed a new battery structure that adds an ultrathin nickel foil as the fourth component besides anode, electrolyte and cathode. Acting as a stimulus, the nickel foil self-regulates the battery’s temperature and reactivity which allows for 10-minute fast charging on just about any EV battery, Wang explained.
“True fast-charging batteries would have immediate impact,” the researchers write. “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.”
The study’s partner, EC Power, is working to manufacture and commercialize the fast-charging battery for an affordable and sustainable future of vehicle electrification, Wang said.
Original Article: Battery tech breakthrough paves way for mass adoption of affordable electric car
More from: Pennsylvania State University
The Latest Updates from Bing News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
10-minute battery charge
- CATL's new EV battery can add 600 km range in 10 minutes
According to media reports, China's CATL has unveiled what it claims to be the world's first EV battery with 4C ultra-fast charging capability. CATL claims that its new EV battery, called Shenxing ...
- Electric Cars Refuel in Minutes? New Battery Makes Long Road Trips a Breeze
A Chinese company called CATL announced a new battery technology for electric cars at the Beijing Auto Show. This new battery is a major leap forward in charging speed and driving range. CATL’s ...
- CATL’s Latest LFP Battery Can Gain 370 Miles Of Range In 10 Minutes Of Charging
The Chinese battery giant said its Shenxing Plus packs are capable of providing a total range of up to 621 miles.
- CATL Unveils Shenxing Plus: The World's First LFP Cell With 4C Ultra-Fast-Charging Tech
CATL unveiled the Shenxing Plus, world's first LFP battery with 4C ultra-fast-charging capability, which can add 370 miles in 10 minutes of charging ...
- CATL’s new LFP battery promises a 10-min charge for 370 miles of range
If you do the math, it means CATL is offering an impressive charging rate of roughly 1 km/sec in a 10 minute quick charge.
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Faster-charging batteries
- EHang and Greater Bay Technology Form Strategic Partnership to Jointly Develop World's First Ultra-Fast/eXtreme Fast Charging Batteries for eVTOL
GUANGZHOU, China, April 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (“EHang” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: EH), the world’s leading Urban Air Mobility (“UAM”) technology platform company, announced that it has established a strategic partnership with ultra-fast charging-focused Guangzhou Greater Bay Technology Co.
- If You Want Your iPhone to Charge Faster, Try These 9 Tricks for iOS
If you're on the go and need to charge your iPhone, check out this list of the best power banks in 2024.