Asian battery manufacturers are racing to create new “superfast charging cells” for electric vehicles. These will allow refuelling cars as quickly as they can fill up with petrol or diesel. China’s CATL, and Gotion High Tech are launching this year batteries that can charge from 10% to 80% in less than 10 minutes.
It is possible to charge a vehicle using EVs in just five minutes. This makes the experience almost identical to filling a vehicle with traditional fuels. The answer to range anxiety, according to Andreas Breiter who is the co-leader of McKinsey’s Center for Future Mobility, is to increase the range.
Faster charging is part of the solution, but there are trade-offs. The five-minute mark is hampered by a number of challenges, including increased safety risks, shorter batteries lifespans, the availability of grid connections, and the additional costs of installing superfast chargers. As incentives for pure electric vehicles are being reduced, the EV industry also has to fight a trend where consumers choose hybrids and stick with petrol or diesel cars.
Hyundai, a South Korean automaker, said that fast charging was essential to boost EV sales. It said that an expanded infrastructure would improve customer convenience. Joint ventures were set up with carmakers in order to build high-powered charging networks for EVs across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Several 800-volt EVs already on the market, can be refueled with “Level 3′ chargers up to 80 percent — i.e. hundreds of kilometres — in under 20 minutes. Joon Park is the chief marketing officer at SK Signet in Korea. He gave an example. “Our superfast charging systems allow you to charge your EV up to 80 percent in only 15 minutes. This gives you enough range to travel 450km between LA and Las Vegas.”
Charge speed is usually measured by how long it takes from 10% to 80% charge. This is because batteries shouldn’t be discharged below 10%, and charging speeds drop dramatically between 80% and 100%.
According to the US Department of Transportation a “Level 1-” charger that plugs in a standard 120 volt AC outlet provides about 1 kilowatt of energy — enough to fully charge an EV within 40-50 hours. The 240-volt chargers used to charge overnight can offer up 20kW with charging times between 4-10 hours.
The latest “Level 3” chargers can deliver hundreds of kilowatts and drastically reduce charge times. They bypass the onboard charger of an EV, and instead supply direct current directly to the battery. Tesla Superchargers can deliver up to 250kW and charge 75 miles in just five minutes. Huawei’s highest-end charger is 600kW.
Neil Beveridge is a senior analyst with Bernstein in Hong Kong. He notes that China’s leading battery manufacturers have surpassed their Korean competitors in terms of producing cells with the fastest charge times. The Shenxing Plus Battery, which was unveiled earlier this year at the Beijing Auto Show, promises to charge in 10 minutes or one kilometre per second.
But Korean battery manufacturers are determined to close that gap. Goh Juh Young, Vice President of South Korean battery manufacturer Samsung SDI, said: “By 2026, we’ll unveil a battery which can be charged fully in nine minutes.”
“But our goal is to develop an electric battery that will be comparable with internal combustion engines that can travel 600km after five minutes of refueling.”
Lee Hang-koo of the Jeonbuk Institute of Automotive Convergence Technology, South Korea, said that there was evidence to suggest that superfast charging can reduce the battery’s life expectancy, and also increase the risk of fires in batteries due to overheating.
Kim Je-young is chief technology officer of LG Energy Solution. The world’s biggest non-Chinese manufacturer of batteries.
The fact that Chinese battery manufacturers are using LFP batteries (Lithium Iron Phosphate) which are less susceptible than nickel-rich batteries from Korean battery makers is one of the reasons why they have been able to improve charging speeds.
Last week, LG Energy Solution’s parent LG Chem announced it had developed a temperature-responsive “safety reinforced layer” a 100th the thickness of human hair designed to reduce the risk of so-called thermal runaway, a leading cause of battery fires.
Lee, from the Jeonbuk Institute, noted that charging speeds were not a top priority for many EV owners who may not be willing to pay the additional cost of superfast charging.
According to Lee, “according to recent surveys, consumers believe that lowering EV costs and having a long range are more important than the charging speed.” “Consumers are more interested in seeing more charging stations than faster charging,” said Lee.
According to Bernstein’s Beveridge the industry is nearing a tipping-point where owning an electric vehicle will not be considered any less convenient than a car powered by a conventional internal combustion engine.
He said that if you look at state-of-the-art vehicles coming from China, it will be standard for them to go 700-800 km on a 10 minute charge.
Electric vehicles will win out in the end because they are more than sufficient for most consumers.
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