New Technology to Speed Up Electric Cars

The new technology that may speed up electric cars could include faster charging and Magnetizable concrete. It could also help to prevent overheating of components. Ford and Purdue have both funded studies on the technology. The new method requires 2,500 amps. This would greatly improve the charging rate of electric cars.

Faster battery charging

Scientists have developed a new method for supercharging electric vehicles. This technology would allow cars to be recharged in less than 10 minutes. It would allow electric car owners to avoid waiting too long at the charging station, which is detrimental for the battery. The researchers presented their findings at the American Chemical Society's meeting this year.

The charging time for an EV varies according to the conditions of its battery. As it gets closer to its maximum capacity, the rate of charging will slow down. This is to prevent the battery from being damaged. For this reason, drivers should use direct current fast charging until their EV is 80 percent charged. After that, they can continue driving. However, it is important to remember that the last 10 percent of the battery could take as long to charge as the first 90 percent.

Magnetizable concrete

Magnetic concrete is a promising technology that could allow electric vehicles to be charged wirelessly on the go. It's being developed by Magment, a German company. It works by adding recycled ferrite to concrete. This material consists of slivers and iron oxide, and when mixed with cement, creates a magnetic field that can transmit power to the electric car wirelessly.

The new concrete is being tested by the Indiana Department of Transportation and Purdue University. The two organisations will test its capacity to charge electric cars and heavy trucks at high speeds. The technology could eventually be applied on a highway in Indiana.

High-density battery technology

Battery-makers and researchers are working to reduce the cost of lithium-ion batteries and improve their recycling capability. Since the process of mining metals is expensive, a key aim is to develop methods to recover valuable metals cheaply from used batteries. Currently, China, Japan, and South Korea produce the largest volumes of these batteries. China's recycling capacity is also growing at the fastest pace. For example, Foshan-based Guangdong Brunp, a subsidiary of China's largest lithium-ion cell maker CATL, can recycle 120,000 tonnes of batteries a year. This process recovers most of the metals including nickel, cobalt, and lithium.

The chemistry of battery cathodes is constantly changing and a decade from now, cathodes may be completely different. To solve this problem, manufacturers should design batteries that are easy to take apart.

Tesla's XFC

Tesla's XFC technology has bidirectional power flow capability. This enables vehicles to send power back to the grid to meet energy demands. The power from EV batteries can also be stored at an XFC station and combined with renewable energy sources to create an efficient energy storage system.

The company has filed a patent for the technology, which is designed to work with existing graphite or silicon-dominant battery technologies. The technology works with a small piece of hardware installed in a charging station and software embedded in the car's battery management system. The technology was originally called FlashBattery, but has now been branded XFC. It is currently being implemented by Daimler and other automakers.

NASA's HyperCharging

NASA's HyperCharging technology has been developed to speed up electric car charging times. It uses subcooled flow boiling to transfer heat more efficiently from the charging cable to the vehicle. It can charge a car in about five minutes. It could also fuel thermal control systems for spacecraft and habitats.

The system was originally developed to cool electronics on spacecraft, but it could also be used on Earth. This would allow super-fast electric car charging without the risk of the vehicle overheating. If successful, the technology could be used on future NASA missions.

Tesla's Echion

The Echion technology has the potential to speed up the charging process of lithium-ion batteries in electric cars. The technology is based on a powdered material that can be manufactured in just six minutes. It is expected to be sold by 2020. Developed by a Cambridge-based scientist who studied nanoscience, the powder is scalable, and could be produced in one kilogram batches every day.

The lithium-ion battery in the Tesla Model S weighs 1,200 pounds and contains 7,104 cells. It has a range of about 265 miles and requires around three to four hours to recharge from a 220V source. Another Israeli company, StoreDot, has already demonstrated its "extreme-fast-charging" battery in drones and cell phones. The company has raised $130 million and been named a Bloomberg New Energy Finance Pioneer.