Electric vehicles have grown quite popular over the past few years, especially as the effects of global warming become more apparent. They run on clean energy and produce zero emissions, and most developed governments are planning on phasing out internal combustion-engine vehicles in favor of EVs over the next decade. However, conventional cars have been around for over a century, and replacing them with EVs is not without its challenges.
A team of researchers from Pennsylvania State University has found a way to eliminate one of the roadblocks to widespread EV adoption, slower recharging times compared to traditional vehicles. Chao-Yang Wang and colleagues found a way to charge batteries enough in under ten minutes to keep a car on the road for up to 200 miles. By heating typical lithium-ion batteries, they were able to suppress some of the problems that hamper fast charging.
“We are pushing the boundary and striving to achieve five minute charging to 80% energy without damaging the battery. This will allow us to achieve parity with gasoline refueling,” Wang says. He and his team preheated batteries to 60˚C in 30 seconds then charged them to 80% of their minimum energy capacity (equal to 200 miles driving range) in 503 seconds. Although they used a charging rate that is high enough to rapidly damage a battery, the heated batteries lost only 20% of their capacity or less over 1700-2500 charge cycles. This is equal to 340,000-500,000 miles of driving.
When a lithium-ion battery is exposed to high temperatures, it speeds up the growth of a solid electrolyte containing lithium and other battery materials which degrades the battery by reducing the number of lithium ions available to move around. Due to this, Wang says, no one had dared to try heating batteries as they charge. “Through extensive experiments and theoretical analysis, we realized that the surface film formation at high temperatures depends on time,” he says.
By limiting the exposure time to ten minutes per cycle, Wang and his team were able to reduce battery damage. They were able to heat the batteries by embedding lightweight resistive nickel foils inside standard battery designs. The foils take electricity directly from the charger when the battery is plugged in and heat up. When they reach 60˚C, a switch is flipped and electricity starts flowing into the battery.
According to the University of Sheffield’s Eddie Cussen, “his work represents an exciting practical demonstration that thermally managing battery processes can strongly enhance performance in current battery chemistry.”
If this technology is fine-tuned and brought to the market, it will stretch the boundaries of what sector players like NIO Inc. (NYSE: NIO) can deliver to the rapidly evolving EV market.
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