Automotive

All-electric sports coupe fires up sub-5-minute hyper-speed charging

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Nyobolt EV prototype real-world testing
Nyobolt
Nyobolt EV prototype charging at 503 amps, according to the image
Nyobolt
Nyobolt EV prototype charge port looking pretty sleek
Nyobolt
Nyobolt EV prototype sportscar
Nyobolt
Nyobolt EV prototype side view, not to be mistaken for the Lotus Elise
Nyobolt
Nyobolt EV prototype looks good, even while charging
Nyobolt
Nyobolt EV prototype, maybe even a little reminiscent of Porsche
Nyobolt
Nyobolt EV prototype has the unmistakable hood-scoops made famous by designer Julian Thomson.
Nyobolt
Nyobolt EV prototype real-world testing
Nyobolt
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Twelve months ago, electric car company Nyobolt promised an EV that could be charged in under six minutes. It now has a working prototype on the road that gains 120 miles of range in just four minutes – using existing charging infrastructure.

With its proprietary battery technology – based around a niobium tungsten oxide anode – Nyobolt claims it's charging its prototype EV from 10% to 80% in just four minutes and 37 seconds using standard (if high-end) 350-kW, 800-V DC fast chargers.

The charger needs to be able to push a constant 500 amps for the first four minutes, but if it can, that'll deliver 120 miles (193 km) of range in just four minutes. That's twice as long as the average fill-up time at the gas pump, but less than half the charging time of anything else in the EV market today.

And without impacting cycle life, too. Nyobolt claims its batteries handle over 4,000 charge cycles – which would equate to over 600,000 road miles (965,600 km) – while still retaining 80% or more of the original battery capacity.

Nyobolt EV prototype looks good, even while charging
Nyobolt

"Independent OEM testing," according to a press release, has confirmed over 4,400 five-minute charge cycles on Nyobolt's 2.6-Ah cells, charging at a rate of 12C and discharging at 1C, at 73 °F (23 °C). For reference, a 1C rate would charge or discharge the full battery capacity over 1 hour. 2C would take 30 mins. So 12C charging means from 0-100% in a hasty 5 minutes (1 hour divided by 12).

This isn't the first time we've heard of EV companies claiming ultra-fast-charging.

The Piëch Mark Zero was to charge from 0-80% in 4 minutes and 40 seconds five years ago. Then nothing at all happened until just a few weeks ago, when Piech announced a new concept car boasting incredible horsepower figures. A thousand of them, in fact (745 kW), but nothing at all was mentioned about its charging capabilities.

In 2021, Desten claimed to have a 900-kW fast-charger and compatible battery pack, but the only new release from Desten we can find is a lithium iron-phosphate cell capable of being charged from 20-80% in six minutes just last year. While that's still an impressive cell, it's a far cry from the 10C claims at nearly 1 megawatt DC three years ago.

Nyobolt EV prototype side view, not to be mistaken for the Lotus Elise
Nyobolt

Nyobolt's prototype EV

Nyobolt has approached its sports car build differently than other manufacturers thus far. Instead of trying to create large battery packs for a huge range, they've opted to design a lighter car with a smaller battery pack of only 35 kWh, offering a 155-mile (250 km) range.

Elon Musk, in the early days of development of Tesla's Roadster, attempted to convert existing Lotus Elise sportscars into EVs, thinking they would be able to simply swap out the drive train for electric. He later admitted that "... it was a super dumb strategy ..." in a Joe Rogan Podcast, as over 90% of the car had to be redesigned to suit the electric components.

But this isn't a Lotus. Nyobolt teamed up with Callum, the designers of the Skye EV, for this prototype. If it looks like a Lotus, that's because it was designed by Julian Thomson, the man responsible for the hugely popular Elise.

Unlike those early Roadsters, the Nyobolt prototype was built from the ground up around its electric powertrain. It weighs only 2,755 lb (1,250 kg). For reference, the battery pack in a Tesla Model S weighs 1,200 lb (544 kg), bringing the Model S Long Range up to a hefty 4,561 lb (2,069 kg).

The Nyobolt battery pack is cooled with cold plates and a water/glycol mix using an AC compressor and battery chiller, which keep the batteries at a relatively cool 140 °F (60 °C), whether you're charging at 500 A or driving on the race track with your pedal to the floor.

It's unlikely that the Nyobolt EV will go into large-volume production, but the battery technology itself could make an impact across a variety of industries where ultra-fast charging and reduced downtime offers a critical advantage – from certain heavy industry applications, to fast-turnaround tractor trailers, to eVTOL air taxis and other electric aircraft – provided the rest of the spec sheet delivers the right numbers.

Nyobolt says it's "in conversation" with eight vehicle manufacturers, and that the fast-charging battery will make its commercial debut in a robotics application later this year.

Source: Nyobolt EV

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10 comments
The Alchemist
I've always loved the Elise. This is stunning, and what an amazing feat, both in charging and lightness. 2800lbs, (I know they aren't going to produce it) but, yes please!
jzj
Using a 350kW charging station, charging in 4.5 minutes, and allowing for a typical charging-station-to-battery net energy loss of 8%, 24kWh of energy make it into the battery. A 120 mile range requires a vehicle efficiency of 5 miles/kWh. While possible, it would likely be under very good driving conditions, such as typical (and not high) driving speeds, not a lot of AC or heat use, and not driving it like a sports car.
Karmudjun
Thanks Joe, but this is apparently well outside of my price range: You know what they say, if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it. I might be able to afford a 350kW 800 Volt D/C charger systems with off-peak power supply, but the car? Not likely. Nice to read about the breakthrough though.
Jinpa
No price, no IIHS accident-impact test results, no insurance premium rate data. Will light-weight body parts compromise occupant safety? Something this short will be hard for other drivers to see. The car sure will sacrifice riding comfort, since it takes weight to smooth out pothole and road-patch jarring. BTDT with a Porsche 356.
Nelson
What is being cooled by the air scoops on the side? If those scoops are just for a look and perform no function, then shame on the designer.
DavidB
155 miles just isn’t enough range for a car whose looks and aerodynamics scream to be the open roads. Especially in the US, anything less than 200 just won’t cut it, and 250–350 would be vastly better.
ljaques
I figure a nice 7 digit price, if they can make the car meet their specs.
SplineDoctor
Good luck to find capable charging stations.
Also would be interesting to know the degradation of battery pack after, say, 200 such kind of brutal charging.
Ranscapture
@davidb, if I go uphill very spirited driving in my model 3 long range, I can drain 40% in 15 minutes on an 82kw battery pack, this thing will get 20 miles going all out. It’s not enough.

@SplineDoctor they said that after 4k fast charges it sti had 80% battery.
martinwinlow
Interesting that the acknowledged average refuelling time for an ICEV is quoted as 2 minutes - both in this article and elsewhere on the WWW. Looking at this article https://www.geotab.com/blog/fleet-refueling/ the situation is possibly a bit more complex (albeit the context is fleet vehicles, ie generally commercial ones).

But beyond that, I am still baffled as to why there is such emphasis on this issue given that most EVs nowadays have at least 2 hours of riving range if not 3 or more. I accept that motorists are used to being able to drive for hours on end but that does not mean that it is impossible to change that mindset - and achieve safer and more enjoyable driving at the same time.

Either way, as ever, the cost will help make up people's minds as 350kW chargers are *a lot* more expensive to use than something more mainstream.