If long EV charging times put you off electric vehicles, a team of scientists believes it will soon be an issue of the past.
Government researchers at the American Chemical Society claim to have found a way to charge a car’s battery from 0-90 percent in under 10 minutes without blowing up the battery.
Plus, the technology they’ve developed could be on the market by as early as 2027.
READ MORE: Dodge’s first electric muscle car has an exhaust so loud it’s called ‘dark matter’
The aim for the researchers was to develop an EV charging method as convenient as refuelling a traditional internal combustion engine car.
“Fast charging is the key to increasing consumer confidence and overall adoption of electric vehicles,” lead researcher Eric Dufek said.
“It would allow vehicle charging to be very similar to filling up at a gas station.”
Balancing fast charge times with battery health has been one of the biggest issues surrounding EVs.
CHECK THIS OUT!
Current rapid EV charging methods can worsen battery degradation and performance.
Researchers say rapid EV charging also “plays a role in causing them to explode”.
The solution Dufek and his team at the Idaho National Laboratory has developed is a tailored charging protocol that optimizes speed while avoiding damage to the battery.
EV charging times
The new charging protocols are now being developed and tested on real batteries.
“We’ve significantly increased the amount of energy that can go into a battery cell in a short amount of time, Dufek said.
“Currently, we’re seeing batteries charge to over 90 percent in 10 minutes.”
Ten minutes is a dramatic improvement on what’s currently available.
Many EVs with smaller batteries currently take around 30 minutes to charge and those with larger batteries can take over an hour.
If this tech can make it to market, it’s sure to be a game-changer as EVs push to become more mainstream.
