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StoreDot to scale up nanodot battery tech in pursuit of five minute-charging EVs

August 21, 2015
StoreDot to scale up nanodot battery tech in pursuit of five minute-charging EVs
StoreDot is aiming to enable EVs that charge in just five minutes
StoreDot is aiming to enable EVs that charge in just five minutes
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StoreDot is aiming to enable EVs that charge in just five minutes
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StoreDot is aiming to enable EVs that charge in just five minutes

Last year, StoreDot made news with its rapid-charging smartphone battery that the Israeli startup claimed could be fully recharged in just 30 seconds, while hinting the technology could be scaled up for fast-charging electric vehicles (EVs). After completing a round of funding for a new EV business unit, StoreDot might just be able to deliver on its vision of EVs that can receive a full charge in just five minutes.

StoreDot's FlashBattery technology relies on "nanodots", which are comprised of bio-organic peptides whose raw materials are abundant in nature and also self-assemble, making for a more affordable product. These form the basis of a multi-function electrode that allows for supercapacitor-like rapid charging, with a slow discharge more like a lithium-ion battery.

The concept still includes lithium components in the cathode, but the company claims that its modified anode and cathode and a proprietary electrolyte and separator are responsible for the incredible recharge speeds.

Scaled up for use in an electric vehicle, an array of StoreDot cells comprising 7,000 cells would purportedly store enough energy for 300 miles (480 km) of driving on just five minutes of charging. The company also promise batteries that are less volatile and offer longer lifetimes due to the use of materials that are less likely to metalize during charge/discharge cycles.

The company's US$18 million in new funding primarily came from existing investors, including Samsung Ventures, and brings the total funding to-date to $66 million. As part of the research, StoreDot plans on also developing a rapid-charging industry standard and a charging station.

Traditional supercapacitor technology is too big for consumer vehicles, having a very low energy to mass ratio. However, StoreDot claims to have solved the limitations of both supercapacitors and batteries with its hybrid solution, without having to pick and choose between increased capacity, fast-charging, or extended battery-life.

However, with the phone battery technology not expected on the market until next year at the earliest, it may be some time before we see the fruits of the vehicle research.

Below is StoreDot's brief teaser about its FlashBattery tech in EVs.

Source: StoreDot

StoreDot 5 Minute Car Charging

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Tags

AutomotiveNanotechnologyElectric VehiclesStoreDotBattery+Electric+Vehicle
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14 comments
Hovnimrsk Prdelac
I am curious about the voltage of the charger stations. Currently, supercharges use up to 500V DC, but at such voltage, for charging 100kWh in 5 minutes, they would need cables and connectors capable of withstanding 2,400 amperes (you need 1,200kW for charging 100kWh accu in 1/12 of hour)!
Charging a car with some 5,000V would enable currents of "only" 240 amperes, though it sounds quite like a challenge too.
I am also surprised about the given parameters of StoreDot, and wonder whether they were already independently confirmed. It sounds little bit too good to be real and hope it is not just another investor scam schema. Hope I am proven wrong soon.
Martin Winlow
Here we go again...
Real world 300 miles-worth of EV energy is about 100kWh. If you want to charge said EV in 5 minutes you need to transfer that energy at a rate of 100/(5/60) = 1.2MW, i.e. the output of a small power station. Sure, you could 'trickle-charge' that much energy into an on-site 'reservoir' and dump it from some existing battery types to another (but not a type useful in other ways including modern Li-based cells) but what would you use to connect them? 1.2MW / 400V = 3 THOUSAND amps!
Sorry, but this is just silly. MW
SergeRoy
Funny how the electric car makes a gas engine starting noise in the video...
Stephen N Russell
If legit import to US, expand on for EVs & sell chargers online & phone outlets.
Robert in Vancouver
I hope they can follow thru and make a 5 minute EV charger. But this will probably end up on the "great-idea-but-impossible-to-do" pile.
habakak
I agree with what Martin says. You would think that venture capitalist would be smart enough to hire experts to vet the technical details before they invest. It looks like a straight-out scam, their prior vid of charging the cell phone was so fake and phony. But let's hope the investors did their homework and know something we don't.
Don Duncan
A claim of 300 mile range with what platform? Long lasting? How long? Inexpensive? How much $?
If true this is the biggest break thru in BEVs ever. StoreDot can rule the market, "if true".
DaveWesely
Martin is probably right. What I don't get is why an automobile or motorcycle company doesn't develop a battery standard for drop in vehicle batteries. This would solve the charging and range problem simply without stressing the grid. Make each battery about 20-30 lbs (10-15 kilos) with memory and circuitry to calculate use/abuse for trade in value. That way an electric vehicle could pull off the freeway, swap out their discharged batteries, and be on their way in 5 minutes. Four hours later those same batteries, fully charged, could be traded to the next traveler. As the batteries age they could be pulled from service and recycled, introducing newer, better batteries. Prices on new electric vehicles would drop as the batteries would not be considered a permanent fixture, and would be sold separately or transferred from a trade in.
EcoLogical
MW your 1.2MW is correct but superchargers are currently at 500V and technology is available to go to 1000V which would require 1200 amps for 1.2MW.
Heavy duty trucks routinely draw 1200 amps from their batteries when starting.
What's silly about that?
B. Stott
Why is it these battery manufacturing companies miss the excellent opportunity of the Radio Control market? Targeting RC for development would provide a rabid customer base that are active, innovative, technologically advancing, and vocal.
Combining battery/technology development for industry and commercial with the RC crowd would provide real world exposure sooner. Give the company valuable real world use and the change to create sound retail products sooner. While the RC crowd, being given the chance to field new battery tech., would ravage the manufacturer's newer battery supplies, hedonistically use and abuse the batteries and be very forthright and quick with feedback including technical experience from active use, extreme experimentation and a mirade of situational applications. This tech would be very easy to integrate into the existing RC crowd, which is also the arena fueling the Drones and UAVs in our growing world. Hundreds - Thousands of immediate interested new tech. battery customers!!!
Uses: Land, Air, Aquatic vehicles; Robotics; Mechatronic contraptions; Security; Wireless Communications; Telemetry; Location/Satellite; Lighting; Computational; in extreme temperatures; Rapidly implementing, immediately using and re-using; multiple quick charges back-to-back; etc....
It seems clear to my warped thinking that the battery developers would get decades of knowledge in months of time and learn which form factors to use while acquiring a lot of free knowledge. They would gather and overcome development, technological, manufacturing, supply line, distribution, marketing and sales hurdles while getting low cost exposure with much word-of-mouth advertising. Win - Win - Win!!!
StoreDot - If you are reading. Give the present Li-ion battery industry a push and try what I suggest. Hint: I use 3S and 4S 2200-6000mAh Li-ion packs for my UAVs, Video, wireless communications, and such. Also, am interested in new ventures to join. ;-)
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