Super-fast charging of electric cars: a groundbreaking breakthrough
We all know that electric cars are the future. They are good for the planet and are becoming more popular every day. However, there is one big problem: it can take a long time to charge.
Imagine stopping for a snack on a road trip and having to wait hours for your car to be ready to drive again. But what if we could speed this up – significantly?
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are doing just that. They have developed a new type of battery that is groundbreaking.
A battery that charges lightning fast
ORNL scientists have created a special type of lithium-ion battery. This is the same type of battery that powers most electric cars today. But this new one has something special.
It can be charged up to 80% in just 10 minutes! What’s even more amazing is that this can be done over and over again for 1,500 charging cycles. That’s a lot of fast charging and that means the battery is both fast and long-lasting.
How did you do that? Well, in every battery there are so-called ions that move back and forth between positive and negative ends (called electrodes).
These ions travel through a kind of “fluid highway” called electrolytes. Zhijia Du and his team at ORNL have developed a new formula for this electrolyte that keeps the ions moving smoothly even when the battery gets hot from super-fast charging.
Safe, efficient and durable
Of course, safety is a big issue with something as important as a car battery. That’s why the researchers tested their new batteries extensively.
They have manufactured some of these new batteries in their own laboratory and subjected them to a series of tests to ensure they are safe and reliable. The results were so impressive that they were published in a scientific journal.
Zhijia Du, the team’s leader, said their new battery formula worked much better than what the Energy Ministry had hoped. It lasts three times longer than experts thought a super-fast charging battery could last.
What does this mean for us?
What does this all mean for everyday people like you and me? Imagine you’re on a road trip and you take a quick bathroom break or a coffee break.
By the time you’re back in your car, it may be mostly charged and ready to get back on the road. No more waiting hours for a full charge.
This new technology could make electric cars much more convenient and help make them the first choice for even more people.
In a world looking for ways to go green, this new battery could be a big step in the right direction. It’s not just a win for electric car owners; It’s a win for the planet.
The research results can be found in Batteries & Supercaps.
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Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
