US experts have developed a new electric car battery that charges in just 10 minutes and lasts 250 miles on a single charge.
The EV batteries are made of lithium iron phosphate, known for its ‘unmatched safety’, and can heat up and cool down quickly – the key to fast charging and long life.
They quickly heat up to 140 ° F for charging and discharging, and then cool down when the battery is not in use.
The system can tackle ‘anxiety from a distance’ – drivers’ fears that they do not have enough charge on their electric vehicle (EV) to get them to their destination.
Researchers say their battery should last longer than 2 million miles in a lifetime and will be a well-rounded driving force for motor vehicles’ if commercialized.
A thermally modulated battery for electric vehicles on mass market without fear of delivery and unsurpassed safety, low cost and no cobalt, is being developed by a team of Penn State engineers.
“There is no more anxiety about range, and this battery is affordable,” Chao-Yang Wang told Penn State University in the United States.
“With the very fast charge, we can reduce the battery without reaching anxiety.”
According to Wang, these batteries can provide a large amount of power during heating – 40 kilowatt hours and 300 kilowatt power.
An EV with this battery can go from zero to 60 miles per hour within three seconds and drive like a Porsche, he said.
“We have developed a fairly smart battery for electric vehicles with mass markets with cost ratio to vehicles with internal combustion engines,” Wang said.
‘This is how we are going to change the environment and not just contribute to the luxury cars. Let everyone afford electric vehicles. ‘
Batteries have three main components – the anode, cathode and electrolyte.
The electrolyte is usually a chemical that separates the anode and cathode and moves the current of electric charge between the two.
The battery uses a self-heating approach developed earlier in Wang’s center. In the photo, EV car battery (stock image)
Because lithium is a very reactive element, it stores a lot of energy.
Lithium-ion batteries use a liquid electrolyte – a flammable liquid based on carbon.
But this liquid electrolyte is often flammable and is blamed for, for example, lithium-ion batteries that burst into flames when overheated.
Lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, a type of lithium-ion battery, are an alternative.
They use lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) as cathode material, are already used in EVs and are known for safety.
This new battery is also lithium iron phosphate, but is described as a ‘thermally modulated LFP’.
It uses a self-heating approach developed earlier in Wang’s laboratory, the Electrochemical Engine Center in Penn State.
The self-heating battery uses a thin nickel foil with one end on the negative terminal and the other side outside the cell to create a third terminal.
Once electrons flow, it quickly heats the nickel foil through resistance heating and heats the inside of the battery.
Once the internal temperature of the battery is 140 ° F, the switch opens and the battery is ready for fast charging or discharging.
The key to longevity and fast recharging is the ability of the battery to quickly heat up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, for charging and discharging, and then cooling down when the battery is not working.
Wang’s team also used inexpensive materials for the cathode and anode of the battery and a safe, low voltage electrolyte.
The cathode is thermally stable lithium iron phosphate, which contains none of the expensive and critical materials such as cobalt.
While the anode consists of very large particle graphite, a safe, light and inexpensive material.
Because of the self-heating, the researchers said they did not have to worry about uneven deposition of lithium on the anode, which could cause dangerous lithium dots.
“This battery has reduced weight, volume and cost,” Wang said. He is writing an article on the findings published in Nature Energy.
“I am very pleased that we have finally found a battery that will benefit the general consumer market.”
Series anxiety is seen as an important barrier to the large-scale use of electric vehicles – something the British government wants to see in the next ten years.
It bans the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2030 in an effort to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and reach the government’s net zero emissions target by 2050.
Britain’s first electric car courtyard opened in December near Braintree, Essex, with the ability to recharge the batteries of 36 rechargeable cars simultaneously.
The petrol / diesel ban means that the UK is rapidly needing new and efficient charging methods to replenish more EV charging ports across the country.
In December, Britain’s first court was just for EVs opened in Braintree, Essex, giving drivers the chance to load their vehicles.
The service station has 36 vehicle levies and shops, including a WHSmith, a post office, a gym and a wellness area for visitors to practice yoga for drivers to enjoy while charging their vehicles.
The EV forecourt is the first of a £ 1 billion nationwide network of 100 electric forecourts planned over the next five years.
Meanwhile, the city of Coventry is working on a Scalextric-style wireless charging system that will likely recharge EVs while they’s running.
Scalextric style roads loading EVs on the road could soon be built in Coventry to tackle ‘anxiety’
Known as Dynamic Wireless Charging (DWC), the technology will ensure an uninterrupted power supply for EVs while in motion
Coventry is evaluating the feasibility of Scalextric technology that will charge electric vehicles (EVs).
The technology, known as dynamic wireless charging (DWC), will ensure uninterrupted power supply for EVs while in motion.
The £ 419,000 ‘DynaCov’ project, backed by Coventry City Council, Toyota, National Express, and others, would see electric coils embedded under asphalt on certain parts of the city’s roads.
These coils, which are connected to a mains supply, will send the power wirelessly to a receiver in the wheels of vehicles.
Electricity would then be transferred from the receiver to the battery of the EV, thus providing a continuous power source while it was running.
Usually, motor vehicles have to stop to recharge while being connected to the charging stations on the side of the car and in the parking lot of cars, which takes up precious time for drivers.
DWC can be installed in cars or even larger vehicles, such as buses or trucks, so that they can load on the go and reduce the number of stops, saving time.
The system can also tackle ‘distance anxiety’ – drivers’ fears that they are not charging enough on their EV to get them to their destination.
The UK non-profit research firm Cenex, another supporter of the project, told MailOnline that it is possible to adapt existing EVs with the technology needed for dynamic wireless charging, although it can be quite expensive.
However, many car manufacturers, including BMW and Tesla, already use wireless charging technology in their vehicles.
Read more: Coventry works on Scalextric-style EV charging en route