Ultra fast EV charging without damaging the battery
New research is close to producing a fast charge protocol that quickly replenishes the battery without causing damage.
Slow charging times, a common deterrent for drivers purchasing an electric vehicle, may be a thing of the past thanks to new research that has discovered a way to supercharge an EV battery from flat to 90 per cent full in just 10 minutes.
Idaho National Laboratory’s Energy Storage and Electric Vehicle Department manager Dr Eric Dufek and his colleagues conducted research using artificially intelligent algorithms to examine how current and voltage impacts battery ageing, resulting in the creation of a new, and much quicker, charging protocol (in simple terms, a code that allows an EV and a charger to establish contact).
“Fast-charging is the key to increasing consumer confidence and overall adoption of electric vehicles and it would allow vehicle charging to be very similar to filling up at a gas station,” Dr Dufek said.
A common side-effect of regular fast-charging is battery damage, with the new charging protocol designed to identify the optimum rate of voltage in any given moment.
“We’ve significantly increased the amount of energy that can go into a battery cell in a short amount of time. Currently, we’re seeing batteries charge to over 90 per cent in 10 minutes without lithium plating or cathode cracking,” Dr Dufek said.
Although the protocol would require adjustment to suit different types of battery packs, it would be deployed to EVs as a free software update, negating the need for hardware changes to existing EVs and chargers.
According to Dr Dufek, the aim of the research is to assist in the creation of rapid-charging-ready lithium-ion batteries, with the ultimate objective being for an EV to communicate to an EV charger the safest and quickest way to charge its batteries.
Tim Washington, founder of EV charging and infrastructure companies Jet Charge and Chargefox, thinks that charging an EV as quickly as filling a car with petrol is possible.
“We’re still in the early stages with EV battery technology, and even now a Hyundai Ioniq 5 can charge from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in just 18 minutes,” Mr Washington said. “It’s completely feasible that will become a lot quicker in a relatively short period of time.”
A demand for mass ultra-rapid charging would, however, place a considerable amount of strain on the energy grid, necessitating a demand for electricity and infrastructure upgrades that would ultimately push the cost of charging up.
“If we all bought industrial air conditioners to cool our places quicker and all started using them at once, the grid wouldn’t handle it,” Mr Washington said. “Ideally the charging would be spread out over time and at a lower rate.”
Mr Washington points out that most EV drivers currently charge their cars at home, and he says it makes sense to think of the process as being no different from charging your mobile phone.
“You wouldn’t expect to take your phone to a public station and have it charged in one minute – instead, you’d charge it at home overnight while it’s not in use,” Mr Washington said.
“EVs shouldn’t be any different, with public fast-charging ultimately only being something that people going on long-distance trips will need.”
Page-turners for petrolheads and those with a passing interest
Polish up the pince-nez, suss out the smoking jacket, plump up the pipe and settle in for this special literary edition of motoring.
Genius of Rolls-Royce engineers shines in world’s most excessive SUV
I should have known that something was amiss when Rolls-Royce invited me to drive its new Cullinan SUV on Ibiza ... and mentioned that there wouldn’t be a lot of actual driving involved.