A breakthrough in the design of electric vehicle batteries paves the way for charging the vehicle within minutes. Scientists and researchers have developed a new battery type with the battery tech breakthrough possibility of charging EV vehicles in just 10 minutes.
Researchers from Pennsylvania State University came up with the idea of an innovative lithium-ion battery for electrical vehicles. These batteries are combined with record breaking combination of short charging time and more energy acquired for long travel ranges. Professor Chao-Yang Wang partnered his lab with EC Power, a State College-based startup, for developing this technology. Without compromising on range with this fast-charge technology, electronic vehicles can downsize from 150 kWh to 50 kWh.
Professor Mechanical Engineering Chao-Yang Wang from Penn State University led the research, and mentioned, “The need for smaller, faster-charging batteries is greater than ever. There are simply not enough batteries and critical raw materials, especially those produced domestically, to meet anticipated demand.â€
With the adoption of a comprehensive plan by Air Resources Board, California, in August 2022, restrictions will be imposed on sale of gasoline-powered vehicles in the States that will eventually lead to outlaw of its sale. By 2035, internal combustion engines will effectively retire from the largest auto market in the United States.
With increasing demand for EV there are 2 drawbacks to be met, first is their slow-paced charging and second is their size. Due to their size, EVs are not as efficient as they should be plus, they do not fit in with the budget of people of different classes.
EV owners have to spend minutes to an entire day to charge their vehicle whose charging time varies depending on the battery. “The smaller, faster-charging batteries will dramatically cut down battery cost and usage of critical raw materials, such as cobalt, graphite and lithium, enabling mass adoption of affordable electric cars,†said Professor Wang.
Major factors on which this technology relies is Internal Thermal Modulation, which is an active method of controlling the temperature and demand the best possible performance from battery, Professor Wang explained.
Best performance from batteries is expected to be when they are hot but not extremely hot. With this factor, maintaining a constant temperature in batteries has been a major issue so far for battery engineers. Thus, Professor Wang and his team decided to regulate temperature within the battery.
Professor Wang further added that up till now battery engineers relied on external and bulky heating-cooling systems for regulating battery temperature. But these methods wasted a lot of energy and were slow too. There are basically 3 components in a regular battery: cathode, anode, and an electrolyte.
Researchers developed a new battery structure with a 4th component, which is an ultra-thin nickel foil. It acts like a stimulus and self-regulates the temperature of battery and reactivity. This mechanism allows the 10-minute charging of any electric vehicle battery.
Also Read: New Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery for Rooftop Solar Off-Grid Can Power AC & DC Appliances
“Our fast-charging technology works for most energy-dense batteries and will open a new possibility to downsize electric vehicle batteries from 150 to 50 kWh without causing drivers to feel range anxiety,†said Professor Chao-Yang Wang. The research was detailed as a study in Nature (a scientific journal) with the title Fast Charging of Energy-Dense Lithium-Ion Batteries. Thus, spreading the word that with battery tech breakthrough possibility of charging EV vehicles in just 10 minutes.
Source: Independent
