Researchers have achieved a potentially huge breakthrough in electric vehicle (EV) battery technology with a new design that charges four times faster than the current industry standard.
The new design created by a team at the University of Waterloo will reach 80% charge in just 15 minutes, compared to the almost one hour it takes a typical EV battery today.
It can also withstand up to 800 charging cycles before losing capacity, which the researchers say is not possible with current EV batteries.
These impressive improvements to charging time and durability were achieved by modifying the design of the anode – the part of the battery that releases lithium ions when power is discharged – to improve electrical conductivity.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel in terms of materials in lithium-ion batteries,” said Michael Pope, co-lead of the University of Waterloo’s Ontario Battery and Electrochemistry Research Centre. “We’re just finding a better way to arrange the particles.”
If the new technology becomes feasible to implement at scale, it could make EVs more affordable and reassurances over battery health will also help them retain value in the second-hand market.
Drivers’ anxiety about running out of power during long journeys or periods of time without access to charging is commonly cited as a barrier to EV adoption. That could be mitigated by the new tech.
EVs would become “a viable option for more people, including those who don’t have home charging stations or who live in apartments,” said professor Yverick Rangom, corresponding author of the recently published study detailing the team’s work.
