The development belongs to engineers from Cornell University. It is a new lithium battery that maintains its performance over long cycles. And it is the fastest electric car battery there is: it could be charged in 5 minutes.
The breakthrough could ease “range anxiety” among electric vehicle drivers. They cannot travel long distances without a time-consuming recharge. «Range anxiety is a greater barrier to electrification in transportation than any of the other barriers. Even the cost and capacity of the batteries. “This solution uses rational electrode designs,” Lynden Archer said in a statement. He is a professor of engineering and dean of Cornell's College of Engineering, who oversaw the project.
lithium ion
“I would avoid needing a battery that is big enough for a 300-mile (500-kilometer) range. “It would reduce the cost of electric vehicles,” adds Archer, whose work is published in Joule magazine.
Lithium-ion batteries are popular for powering electric vehicles and smartphones. They are light, reliable and relatively energy efficient. But they take hours to charge and lack the capacity to withstand large current spikes.
Researchers identified indium as an exceptionally promising material for fast-charging batteries. It is a soft metal for making indium tin oxide coatings for touch screens and solar panels. It has two crucial characteristics as a battery anode. It has an extremely low migration energy barrier. And a modest exchange current density. The combination of those qualities is essential for fast charging and long-lasting storage.
New design
«We discovered a new design principle. It allows the metal ions in a battery's anode to move freely and find the correct configuration. In each charging cycle, the electrode is in a stable morphological state. “It gives our new fast-charging batteries the ability to charge and discharge repeatedly over thousands of cycles.”
That technology is combined with wireless induction charging on the roads. It would reduce the size (and cost) of batteries. It would be the fastest electric car battery and a more viable option for drivers.
