Will We Ever Be Able Charge EVs In 5 Minutes?
Electric cars can replace internal combustion engines (ICE) because they do not emit harmful emissions, are whisper quiet, and not reliant on fossil fuels. In addition to this, they are loaded with the latest technology that allows them to steer, accelerate, cruise, and apply the brakes when and where necessary. It won’t be long before they will be able to drive autonomously.
However, the only Achilles heel of the EV is the time it takes to charge the battery pack. The most sophisticated EVs on the market, when connected to a rapid DC charger, take about 30 minutes to charge to 80%. This is far longer than the few minutes needed to refuel an ICE vehicle.
That makes it extremely inconvenient, especially if you are in a hurry to get to your destination. The issue is exacerbated by the fact that there are limited charging stations and bays available at any given time. This is a primary reason EV adoption has stagnated globally.
That said, the problem might be outdated as a team from Cornell Engineering have created a new type of lithium battery that can charge in under 5 minutes. The challenge was to attain a composition that would allow for charge and discharge cycles to happen in a way that meets the needs required for EVs.
What they produced was a battery that used indium for its anode. It’s a soft metal that is often used to make indium tin oxide coatings for touchscreen displays and solar panels. It has an extremely low migration energy barrier and a modest exchange current density. These are important characteristics for achieving fast charging and extended periods of charge storage.
The team says that despite this being a great achievement, indium is heavy. And that may not make it an ideal choice for use in battery packs. But it does open doors to creating suitable lightweight alternatives that could achieve similar charging characteristics.
There are other research projects currently in the works that promise similarly quick charging characteristics including sodium ion batteries. That said it will take time before we see such technology trickle down to us, but when it does, it could be a game changer.
