Charging times are a hugely important factor when it comes to driving the adoption of electric vehicles, and we're seeing exciting advances aimed at getting users back on the road with minimal delay. US startup Enovix hopes to play its part in all of this with a next-generation battery design, which it says can now be nearly completely recharged in less than 10 minutes.
Shaving valuable minutes off the potential plug-in time for electric vehicles is a common goal among battery scientists, and we've seen breakthroughs come from both research groups and private companies working in this space. This includes studies detailing aluminum-ion batteries and experimental electrodes that could cut recharge times to mere minutes, while startups such as StoreDot and big-name players like Volvo are also throwing their hats into the ring.
Technology outfit ABB has what it says is the world's fastest electric vehicle charger, with an ability to fully charge a car in 15 minutes or less. Enovix is working to undercut these figures with its proprietary battery architecture that features an EV-class cathode and anode made from silicon, fashioned into a "3D cell architecture."
We've seen silicon feature regularly across the past decade of battery research, with the material favored as an alternative to the graphite used in today's anodes due to its vastly superior energy storage potential. Enovix doesn't delve into the figures on this aspect of performance, only to say its battery design increases energy density, and can endure more than 1,000 cycles while retaining 93 percent of its capacity.
The company has been developing its technology through a grant program from the US Department of Energy, and hopes to offer a solution for not just EVs but broader energy storage applications. On Monday it announced it has demonstrated that its battery can be charged from zero to 80 percent in as little as 5.2 minutes, and to more than 98 percent in less than 10.
“Fast charge capability can accelerate mass adoption of EVs and we’ve been able to demonstrate a level of performance that meets and exceeds many OEM roadmaps,” said Harrold Rust, Co-Founder, CEO and President of Enovix. “EV manufacturers are in pursuit of batteries that support longer range, while the public and private sectors work to increase EV driver access to fast chargers. We’re proud to support these goals to help electrify the automotive industry and demonstrate our batteries are an exciting option to power long-range, fast-charging EVs.”
Source: Enovix
Nevertheless a combination of fast and slow charge batteries or battery/super-capacitor systems will certainly make the ecars more acceptable
Not at all a fair trade to me. Hard Pass.
I think for the grid at least part of the solution is to store energy locally , perhaps in super capacitors or flywheels etc. Something that can be charged up over time and then rapidly discharged as needed.
For a residents the system could charge for 20 hours storing the energy to charge the car.
A "Gas" station my only have a %20 or less duty cycle allowing local storage of energy to build up to be released on demand.
I personally am not a EV fan but look at the advances made in the last decade. With the incentives and political climate at the moment solutions to problems are being solved.
I see the naysayers have already trotted out the obstacles. The grid won't handle it? Not today, in some places, but how fast are EVs going to take over the majority of vehicles on the road? And that nighttime lull needs customers.
They aren't cost-effective over their lifetime? Show your work, including your assumptions. One recent analysis figured in the cost of "lost time for charging".
Too expensive? Yeah, Teslas are, but wait til the Chinese cars get here, and all those battery plants come on line.