New car battery charges in “minutes”

In the battery circles, some have argued for years that carbon batteries could eventually steal the show to lithium-ion ones, but so far it hasn’t been the case. A new battery for electric cars which being developed in  Korea may change this as it would charge within minutes, according to theregister, making it much more convenient for drivers to “fill up” and move on. Researchers say that the cost of the battery itself could be twice as low, when compared to Li-ion batteries.

The secret they say, is that the chemical process to recharge the battery happens on all energy-storage particles at once. In traditional batteries, only a fraction of the energy storage can be replenished at once, which is why charging time grows linearly with capacity.

Obviously, we love it that electric cars could be charged in minutes, but we also want to see laptop, tablets and smartphones charged in… seconds? The thing is: industrial and car batteries probably generate higher margins, so they will end  up being served first. In any case, the technology isn’t quite ready for prime time yet, but the mere prospect will have gadget enthusiasts salivating. If you feel like reading the whitepaper… (requires a subscription)

Hubert Nguyen
Categories: Transportation
Tags: Battery, electric vehicle