American experts have developed a new electric car battery that charges in just 10 minutes and lasts 250 miles on a single charge.
EV batteries are made of lithium-iron phosphate, known for their “unsurpassed safety,” and can be heated and cooled quickly, key to fast charging and long service life.
They are quickly heated to 140 ° F to charge and discharge and then cooled when the battery is not in use.
The system could deal with range anxiety: drivers fear they don’t have enough charge in the electric vehicle (EV) to take them to their destination.
Researchers say its battery should last more than 2 million miles over its lifetime and that it would be “a complete driving force for mass-market electric vehicles” if marketed.
A team of Penn State engineers is developing a thermally modulated battery for mass-marketed electric vehicles with no scope anxiety and unmatched, low-cost, cobalt-free safety.
“There’s no longer scope anxiety and that battery is affordable,” Chao-Yang Wang told Penn State University in the United States.
“Very fast charging allows us to reduce battery size without incurring anxiety.”
According to Wang, these batteries can produce a large amount of energy when heated: 40 kilowatts per hour and 300 kilowatts of power.
An EV with this battery could go from zero to 60 miles per hour in three seconds and drive like a Porsche, he said.
“We have developed a fairly smart battery for large-market electric vehicles with cost parity with combustion engine vehicles,” Wang said.
“This is how we will change the environment and not just contribute to luxury cars. Let everyone afford electric vehicles.”
Batteries have three main components: the anode, the cathode, and the electrolyte.
The electrolyte is typically a chemical that separates the anode and cathode and moves the electric charge flow between the two.
The battery uses a self-warming approach previously developed in the center of Wang. Pictured, EV car battery (stock image)
Because lithium is a highly reactive element, it stores a large amount of energy.
Lithium ion batteries use a liquid electrolyte, a flammable liquid based on carbon.
But this liquid electrolyte is often flammable and has been charged with lithium-ion batteries that exploded in flames when heated, for example.
Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, a type of lithium ion battery, are an alternative.
They use lithium-iron phosphate (LiFePO4) as the cathode material, are already used in electric vehicles and are known for their safety.
This new battery is also lithium and iron phosphate, but is described as a “thermally modulated LFP.”
It uses a self-heating approach previously developed in Wang’s lab, Penn State’s Center for Electrochemical Motors.
The automatic heating battery uses a thin nickel foil with one end attached to the negative terminal and the other extending out of the cell to create a third terminal.
Once the electrons flow, it quickly heats the nickel foil by heating it up and heating the inside of the battery.
Once the internal temperature of the battery is 140 ° F, the switch opens and the battery is ready to be charged or discharged quickly.
The key to long life and fast recharging is the battery’s ability to quickly heat up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, to charge and discharge, and then cool down when the battery doesn’t work
Wang’s team has also used low-cost materials for the cathode and anode of the battery and a safe low-voltage electrolyte.
The cathode is thermally stable lithium iron phosphate, which does not contain any of the expensive and critical materials such as cobalt.
Although the anode is made of very large particle graphite, a safe, lightweight and economical material.
Because of the self-heating, the researchers said they should not worry about uneven lithium deposition at the anode, which can cause dangerous lithium spikes.
“This battery has reduced weight, volume and cost,” said Wang, who wrote an article on the findings published in Nature Energy.
“I am very pleased that we have finally found a battery that will benefit the mass market from major consumers.”
Autonomy anxiety is seen as a major barrier to large-scale adoption of all-electric vehicles, something the UK government wants to see in the next ten years.
It is banning the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2030, with the aim of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and achieving the government’s net zero-emission target by 2050.
Britain’s first electric vehicle yard opened near Braintree, Essex, in December, with the ability to recharge the batteries of 36 plug-in cars simultaneously
The petrol / diesel ban means the UK needs new and efficient charging methods quickly to complement more electric vehicle charging ports across the country.
In December, Britain’s first track for electric vehicles only opened in Braintree, Essex, offering drivers the opportunity to load their vehicles.
The gas station has 36 electric vehicle charges 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 for electric vehicles.
The EV front yard is the first in a £ 100m national network planned for the next five years.
Meanwhile, the city of Coventry is working on a Scalextric-style wireless charging system, which will potentially recharge electric vehicles while on the move.
Scalextric-style roads could soon be built that charge electric vehicles in Coventry to deal with anxiety
Known as wireless dynamic charge (DWC), the technology would ensure an uninterruptible power supply for electric vehicles while on the move.
Coventry is evaluating the feasibility of Scalextric-style technology that would charge electric vehicles (EVs).
Known as wireless dynamic charge (DWC), the technology would ensure an uninterruptible power supply to electric vehicles while moving.
The £ 419,000 DynaCov project, backed by Coventry City Council, Toyota, National Express and others, would see electric coils embedded under asphalt on certain stretches of the city’s roads.
These coils, which would be connected to a mains, would transmit wireless power to a receiver on the wheels of the vehicles.
Electricity would be retransmitted from the receiver to the EV battery, providing it with a continuous source of power as it moved.
Typically, electric vehicles should be stopped to recharge while connecting to charging stations on the sides of the road and in parking lots, taking up precious time for drivers.
The DWC could be installed in cars or even larger vehicles, such as buses or trucks, allowing them to load on the fly and reducing the number of stops, saving time.
The system could also deal with range anxiety: drivers fear they don’t have enough charge in their electric vehicle to take them to their destination.
The British non-profit research firm Cenex, another sponsor of the project, told MailOnline that it would be possible to adapt existing electric vehicles with the technology needed for wireless dynamic charging, although it can be quite expensive.
However, many electric vehicle manufacturers, including BMW and Tesla, are already incorporating wireless charging technology into their vehicles.
Read more: Coventry works on the on-the-go Scalextric-style EV load