Despite the rising popularity of electric vehicles, consumers still hesitate to switch to these vehicles. One reason is the time taken to charge an electric car, than what is required for a conventional vehicle. But increasing the charging process can cause damage to the battery, and reduce its lifespan.
In a bid to address this, scientists have designed superfast charging methods designed to power various types of electric vehicle batteries within 10 minutes without causing any damage.
The findings will be presented at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society.
“Speedy charging of battery is of utmost significance to increase consumer confidence and overall ownership of electric vehicles,” stated one of the presenters of the work. If this comes into existence, it will be similar to filling up fuel at a gas station. Such an advancement could help the American President’s goal of half of the vehicles to be electric or hybrid by 2030.
Importantly, charging lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles requires delicate balance. Ideally, drivers want to charge the vehicles as quickly as possible to get back on the freeway, but using the current technology, speeding up can cause damage.
Chemically, charging of lithium-ion battery involves migration of lithium ions from the cathode to the anode. If lithium ions are allowed to migrate faster, this leads to faster charging of the battery, but sometimes are unable to fully move into the anode.
In such a situation, lithium metal can accumulate, and can trigger early failure of battery. It can also cause the cathode to wear away and crack. These issues will cumulatively reduce the working life of battery, and effective extent of the vehicle.