Ten Minutes Charge To Give 200 Miles, Claims Researchers

Scientists in the US are developing rapid-charge batteries that could be used in a couple of years

New battery technology could give electric cars 200 miles of driving range in just ten minutes of charge, claim scientists in the US.  Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University said that such a speedy charge rate required a battery to rapidly take in 400 kilowatts of energy. Current generation vehicles are not capable of this feat as it risks the lithium plating, the formation of metallic lithium around the anode, which can severely deteriorate battery life.

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To get around this constraint, the researchers kept the experimental battery at 60 degrees Celsius to charge it up. To do so, the team developed a battery that uses thin nickel foil to create an internal self-healing structure. First heating the battery to 60 degrees Celsius then lowering it back to room temperature they were able to charge the battery to 80 percent in 10 minutes.

Makers will need to make sure that rapidly raising the temperature is safe and stable and does not lead to explosions given the phenomenal amount of energy that is being transferred. The current generation Tesla Model S takes 40 minutes to charge from a flat battery to 80 percent using a supercharger.