Ultra-fast charging batteries that can be 70% recharged in just two minutes

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Scientists have developed a new battery that can be recharged up to 70 per cent in only 2 minutes. The battery will also have a longer lifespan of over 20 years. Expected to be the next big thing in battery technology, this breakthrough has a wide-ranging impact on many industries, especially for electric vehicles which are currently inhibited by long recharge times of over 4 hours and the limited lifespan of batteries.

Yay! I hope these come to solar batteries soon.

So when I build off grid batteries will no longer be the weakest link!

a reply to: pianopraze

Was just noting that every flashlight in the house has dead batteries...again!
I sure hope we get something better soon!

a reply to: pianopraze strange as well that we where walking on the answer the whole time

scientists replaced the traditional graphite used for the anode (negative pole) in lithium-ion batteries with a new gel material made from titanium dioxide, an abundant, cheap and safe material found in soil

amazing!! I hope that makes it to market sooner rather than later! Along with the Canadian who invented the new solar panels that roll out like paper, are extremely durable, and 60% more effective, These things could greatly increase our energy availability. Yay!

Sounds promising. Wonder what the energy density is?

a reply to: Bedlam
The omission of this particular detail makes me think this is the fly in the proverbial ointment.

originally posted by: GetHyped
a reply to: Bedlam
The omission of this particular detail makes me think this is the fly in the proverbial ointment.

Yeah, me too. I notice I couldn't find any mention of it anywhere.

a reply to: pianopraze

No offense to the op because that's great news. But through the years, we never seem to see these scientific breakthroughs come to fruition. If they ever do, it will have to be in another country because the US will not give us the benefits of inexpensive energy in any form....ever.

This is just a normal lithium ion battery with a nano material anode. Virtually no nano material has been scaled for mass production successfully yet.

Also, I do not think any battery based on lithium is the long term answer, it's just not abundant enough to be used in more than a small percent of vehicles produced. I really question how tesla thinks they will reduce battery costs when their new plant will almost double the use of lithium worldwide. Supply and demand tells me that just isn't going to happen.

a reply to: StoutBroux

It's much more to do with the over enthusiastic institution press releases followed by terrible science reporting in the media. Most of the so-called "breakthroughs" don't pan out for a variety of reasons but the way they're reported in the media you'd think they were a sure bet. Battery tech just doesn't take massive leaps and bounds these days, it's a slow and gradual grind as different approaches are tried but fail to reach fruition. In this instance, it all sounds great except for the lack of mention of energy density. Batteries have a bad enough energy density as it is, having a 2 minute charge time doesn't really count for much if the energy density is only a fraction of current tech. That alone would kill the "breakthrough" dead in the water right there.

An interesting development but I believe the infrastructure to support such fast charging doesn't yet exist and that's where it'll fall down for the near future at least.

Let's say a practical unit can supply an average 50HP to the wheels for about 8 hours on one charge which I estimate at around the 300kWh mark in terms of energy so such a battery would be something like 1000A.h 300V. That would require 1000A to recharge in 1 hour or 30000A to recharge in 2 minutes and that's not considering losses which would be significant at such a load.

This is all very quick 'back of the envelope' calcs so please don't be too harsh if I made an error here but I came up with a DC supply providing 30kA at 300V which amounts to a 9 megawatt battery charger!
Not going to find one of those on the shelf at KMart for sure and even the 1 hour charger is going to be a beast at 30kW which would require a special service from the local energy provider.

We're just not ready for anything like that yet and probably never will be for automative use but this has very real prospects for portable things with modest needs like tablets, phones etc

a reply to: proximo

I would disagree with you on the mass-scale production of nanomaterials. Just look at the ingredients of Brach's lemon drops...titanium dioxide is on the list (as a coloring agent). In hopes that this method does work, I think it would be as cheap as the graphite it is replacing. Even if it is more expensive, if it is that much more efficient, it will pay off in the long run.

Now the question. Which battery companies are going to license the patent to this? Energizer, Duracell, etc., etc.. Will there be a limit placed on the size of battery that can be made with this tech? Ultimately, I see this tech as a good thing-if it reaches the public in high-volume. They haven't done long-term tests on these, so the 20 year estimate may be off. Still, if a rechargeable battery lasts more than 10 years, it's a good one.

I assume this is patented. I'm sure the inventor(s) will want to license the idea ASAP. Their best bet would be to license it to the highest bidder, with the promise that the tech will reach the public. That way the inventors will make the most money, and it will be guaranteed to be released to the public.

a reply to: Pilgrum

Exactly the issue.
Who's got a domestic power supply (or indeed would want one!) that puts out enough energy to charge it?

Not sure about your workings but the point still stands- fuel cells are probably a better choice in terms of long term portable battery development ...if a litre of diesel can generate 5-10KWH of electricity this surely can be improved upon using meta-materials and alternative fuels.

a reply to: Jukiodone

Just shows how the energy density and cost + convenience of hydrocarbon fuels is very very difficult to compete with unless you're prepared to go to alternatives that are far more risky (EG nuclear).

How big would a 10MW solar 'farm' be I wonder?
Quick calc for pretty much the current standard 250W panels comes to at least 40000 such panels :O
That *could* potentially charge hundreds of my hypothetical 300kWh batteries per day with clean renewable energy but definitely not a portable solution.

I'm not sure what exactly the breakthrough is here because Lithium Titanate cells have been around for a while.

en.wikipedia.org...

www.tosa2013.com...

www.proterra.com...

The cost is higher and the energy density is lower, so they will probably only be used in specialized areas.

While much slower, it still might surprise you that Regular Lithium Ion batteries can be charged in 30 minutes to 70%.