New EV Battery to Provide 300 Miles with a 5-minute Charge

Manufacturing Innovation

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A new lithium-ion battery that uses semiconductor nanoparticles in the place of graphite means charging EVs on the go could soon be as fast as filling up with gasoline.

For 60% of drivers, range anxiety remains one of the biggest barriers to the large-scale adoption of all-electric vehicles even though some models already exceed 300 miles on a single charge.

The good news is that range anxiety is being addressed on two fronts: massive investment in battery research and development has led to ever-increasing power and charge, and extensive charging networks are rolling out across the U.S. and many other parts of the world. Tesla, for example, has already built a network of more than 20,000 Superchargers. China is reportedly installing EV stations at a rate of more than 1,000 per day.

But one concern remains. If you need to charge your EV when you’re away from home, how long will it take?

Lengthy Charging Times for EVs

Most drivers treat their EV batteries the way we charge our smartphones: plug it in at home overnight for a full charge, then top it up during the day as required.

This is because empty-to-full charging times are impractical. According to PodPoint, fully charging a 75kwH Tesla Model S battery, for example, would take 21 hours with a 3.7kW (slow) chargepoint, 11 hours at 7kW, and 5 hours at 22kW. Rapid chargepoints up to 150kW can reduce charging times to under an hour.

Tesla superchargers have a max charging rate of 250kW, but most public chargepoints range from 7kW to 22kW.

This is why EV makers recommend the top-up approach. Tesla, for example, has the following on its Supercharger website: “Superchargers can add up to 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes. Since charging above 80 percent is rarely necessary, stops are typically short and convenient … On average, [Tesla] drivers Supercharge for about 30 minutes before driving on.” 

Waiting Around

Even 15 minutes, however, is three to five times longer than it takes to fill up a gasoline vehicle. EV charging requires a behavioral change, forcing drivers to allow more time for journeys that will require a battery top-up, and will alter the perception of service stations as a quick pit-stop.

Tesla urges its Supercharger users to “Relax, grab a coffee, stretch your legs, or play a game” while they wait, while a 2016 article suggests Nissan Leaf drivers could exercise, go shopping, or even try out some amateur photography while their car (slowly) charges.

Petrol/charging stations will have to up their game by providing more seating, better café and dining options, and facilities such as outdoor gyms and playgrounds. In return, customers are likely to spend more money than they usually would while they wait around.

Making EV Charging As Fast As Filling Up with Gasoline or Diesel

Israeli company StoreDot has created 1,000 factory samples of a lithium-ion battery that is able to fully charge in five minutes, providing a range of 300 miles. This translates to 60 miles of travel on a one-minute charge.

However, this will require chargers that are more highly powered than are generally available today. With current infrastructure, StoreDot believes it can deliver a charge of 100 miles in five minutes by 2025.

Typical lithium-ion batteries contain one electrode made of graphite, which creates a bottleneck for the flow of electricity. StoreDot’s FlashBattery replaces the graphite with semiconductor nanoparticles that can handle a significantly faster flow.

Speaking about range anxiety, StoreDot CEO Doron Myersdorf told The Guardian that people are afraid that they will be stranded on the highway or will have to wait in a charging station for a long time. “But if the experience of the driver is exactly like fuelling [a gasoline car], this whole anxiety goes away.”

“The bottleneck to extra-fast charging is no longer the battery. Now the charging stations and grids that supply them need to be upgraded,” he said.

StoreDot predicts the cost of the FlashBattery will be the same as standard lithium-ion batteries. FlashBatteries are manufactured in China on standard production lines.

Investors in StoreDot include BP, Samsung, TDK, and Daimler.

Image Credit: buffaloboy / Shutterstock.com

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