Electric vehicles (EVs) have moved past the early adopter phase into mainstream, with growing popularity and an increase in charging infrastructure.
The reason for this is simple: they are much cleaner and more efficient than gas-powered cars. And in a world increasingly concerned about climate change, that’s a very attractive proposition.
The concept sell behind EVs is simple enough; by running on batteries that can be recharged, there is no need to buy or store gasoline and no emissions from the car itself.
Unfortunately, there’s always been one issue with EVs; their batteries take too long to charge.
Even the most popular models on the market today can take an hour or more to get back to a full charge. And even then, that would be at an official charging station, not a standard home outlet.
These charging times make EVs not practical for most people, who can’t always factor these long waits into their schedules. That may be about to change with the latest breakthroughs in EV battery technology.
Introducing Terra 360 video:
That may be about to change with the latest breakthroughs in EV battery and charging technology. Companies, such as Enovix are creating batteries capable of charging to 80% in 5.2 minutes. Meanwhile, Terra has developed charging stations (Terra 360) that delivers “up to 360 kW of power and a full charge in less than 15 minutes.”
Enovix EV batteries
US company Enovix, designer and manufacturer of the 3D Silicon Lithium-ion batteries, announced that according to their recent tests, their 0.27 Ah EV test batteries are capable of:
- Charging from 0-80% in just 5.2 minutes, and
- Surpassing the 98% charge capacity in under 10 minutes. [1]
This level of performance is a huge breakthrough in making EVs more viable.
The Enovix batteries are made with silicon anodes instead of the standard graphite anodes traditionally used in Li-ion batteries. This change allows for a much higher energy density and thus shorter charging times.
These test results well exceed the goals set by the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) of reaching 80% charge in 15 minutes. [2]
This massive development for the EV industry could be the key to making EVs a more mainstream option.
As Ashok Lahiri, Co-Founder and CTO of Enovix, states, the company is on the way to can accelerate the industry’s roadmap. [1]
His fellow Co-Founder and CEO, Harrold Rust, pointed out that faster charging times could be critical in accelerating the widespread adoption of EVs.
He remarked that by pairing better quality batteries that support longer-range travel with the public and private sector’s efforts to increase access to fast chargers, we could see a fundamental shift in how people think about and use EVs.
Innovations in battery life
Another big concern with EVs, like any other battery-powered device, is their battery life. Even with the latest advances in battery technology, the average EV battery only lasts for a few years in perfect working order and full capacity. After that, the battery starts to degrade and needs to be replaced.
This can be a big financial burden for EV owners, as batteries are expensive to replace. And since EVs are still a relatively new technology, there is no real infrastructure in place to recycle or dispose of old batteries.
But Enovix is also tackling this problem.
The company announced that as part of their three-year Department of Energy grant program, in which they pair a 100% active silicon anode with EV-class cathode materials, their cells were capable of delivering over 1,000 cycles while still retaining 93% of their capacity.
They have also demonstrated that their 3D silicon batteries will have a lifespan of up to 10 years.
That’s significantly more than the lifespan of current EV batteries, and it could make a big difference in the overall cost of ownership for an EV. Moreover, testing has shown that
Enovix batteries suffer minimal capacity loss after six months of use at elevated temperatures.
With shorter charging times and longer battery life, EVs are finally starting to become an attractive option for consumers.
The future for Enovix
Enovix is well on its way to becoming a major player in the EV industry. With their breakthrough battery technology, they are helping make EVs a more viable alternative to traditional cars.
In the future, we will likely see Enovix batteries powering a wide variety of EVs, from cars to buses to bikes.
The company started as a category leader in the mobile phone market but has proved that its batteries are scalable and can be adapted to many devices and applications.
The novel 3D Silicon Lithium-ion is also well-suited for other applications like wearable devices, drones, and now EVs.
As well as revolutionizing the EV market, Enovix technology can also be essential in the renewable energy market, where batteries have often been a show stopper in achieving widespread usage of renewable energies.
The competition for innovation
With environmental concerns on the rise and concerned citizens looking for more eco-friendly alternative modes of transport, electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular.
The recent sharp increases in gas prices are another factor that seems to be driving the nail in the coffin of fossil fuel-powered transport, as people look to save money at the pump.
All of these reasons are causing car manufacturers to invest more time and money into the research and development of electric vehicles. And both researchers and tech companies are competing to deliver the most efficient technology to power these new cars and reduce the charge time.
For example, Swiss multinational company ABB has just brought us the Terra 360 modular charger.
This charging station, designed to look very much like a traditional gas fueling station, delivers a range of 100km/ 62miles after a charging time of just 3 minutes. The world’s fastest electric vehicle charging station is capable of powering up to four vehicles at the same time. [3]
As the electric vehicle industry continues to grow, we can expect to see more and more companies competing to provide innovative battery technologies.
And with the rise of climate change concerns and the pressing need to find more sustainable energy sources, it’s likely that batteries will play an even more important role in our lives in the years to come.
Notes
[1]: https://ir.enovix.com/news-releases/news-release-details/enovix-battery-cells-achieve-exceptional-five-minute-fast-charge
[2]: https://uscar.org/usabc/
[3]: https://new.abb.com/news/detail/82941/abb-launches-the-worlds-fastest-electric-car-charger
