Charging

The many cells that make up a lithium battery pack are not all equal; some will degrade and die faster than others. New research out of Stanford has found that the whole battery can live much longer if each cell gets an individual charging treatment.

Korean engineers have demonstrated a new system that uses infrared lasers to beam power over distances as far as 100 ft (30 m), which could eventually lead to technology that automatically charges your phone as soon as you walk into a room.

One of the lofty ambitions Rivian holds in the electric vehicle space is to establish a vast network of fast-charging locations spanning the US and Canada, and this week it opened of the first sites of its so-called Rivian Adventure Network.

This clever robotic EV charger will find a parking spot, reserve it for you, then sit behind you to charge your EV. It's a nifty idea, but we do wonder how Ziggy will cope with the brutally competitive environment of a mall car park on Christmas Eve.

Nissan has joined other big-name automakers in outlining a vision around next-generation battery technology, which includes plans for a dedicated production facility and possible 15-minute charging times for electric vehicles.

VW subsidiary Electrify America is out to offer electric vehicle owners a plethora of locations to charge up their rides, and its next-generation stations should make them more comfortable while doing it.

Ola is building the world's largest motorcycle factory, capable of making 10 million electric scooters a year, starting with its impressive S1. Now, it's invested in Israeli fast-charge battery tech that could deliver 100 miles of range in 5 minutes.

A new advance in EV research leverages an advanced cooling technology to take the heat out of the charging cable, allowing it to handle the type of current needed to charge up an electric car in under five minutes.

Global technology company ABB has just announced what is claimed to be the world's fastest electric vehicle charger, capable of delivering 100 km (62 miles) of range in a matter of minutes.

LA-based fleet e-mobility firm Xos has introduced a mobile charging station called the Xos Hub that means fleet operators can move to electric transport options without having to wait for the installation of permanent support infrastructure.

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has demonstrated a new Hypercharge system that can charge phones at a monstrous 200 W through a wire, and 120 W wirelessly. Just three minutes on the charge cable is enough to get a large phone battery to 50 percent.

Most multicopter drones can only fly for about 30 minutes, after which their battery has to be recharged for one to two hours. According to Israeli company StoreDot, though, its FlashBattery tech delivers a full charge in just five minutes.