Engineers close in on superfast battery charging

Claims have been made that engineers are close to developing technology that would allow for 10 minute superfast charging of EV batteries.

The news from researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) claims that the institute has uncovered the method to fast and safe charging.

The researchers combined black phosophorus and graphite which sped up the transfer of energy into the lithium ion battery. As a result of the move, the material reached 80% of full capacity within 10 minutes with the potential for a 2000 charging cycle life.

The study also claimed that a lithium ion with energy density of more than 35KWh would be achievable if the technology could be produced at scale.

At present, although some rapid charging technology currently exists, the fastest 50KW chargers will only charge to 80% at a minimum time of 20 minutes.