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Power Transportation Technology

British Startup Nyobolt Demos 4-Minute Battery Charging For EVs (cnn.com) 164

Longtime Slashdot reader fahrbot-bot shares a report from CNN, written by Olesya Dmitracova: Nyobolt, based in Cambridge, has developed a new 35kWh lithium-ion battery that was charged from 10% to 80% in just over four and a half minutes in its first live demonstration last week. [...] Nyobolt's technology builds on a decade of research led by University of Cambridge battery scientist Clare Grey and Cambridge-educated Shivareddy, the company said. Key to its batteries' ability to be charged super-fast without a big impact on their longevity is a design that means they generate less heat. It also makes them safer as overheating can cause a lithium-ion battery to catch fire and explode. In addition, the materials used to make the batteries' anodes allow for a faster transfer of electrons. Nyobolt is currently in talks to sell its batteries to eight electric car manufacturers. At 35 kWh, the battery is much smaller than the 85 kWh in a more typical American electric vehicle (EV). Yet the technology may be used in larger battery packs in the future.

Independent testing of Nyobolt's batteries by what it called a leading global manufacturer found that they can achieve over 4,000 fast-charge cycles, equivalent to 600,000 miles (965,600 kilometers), while retaining more than 80% of capacity, Nyobolt said in its Friday statement. William Kephart, an e-mobility specialist at consultancy P3 Group and a former engineer, said EV batteries of the kind Nyobolt has developed could "theoretically" be charged as fast as the firm is promising, but the challenge was manufacturing such batteries on an industrial scale. A crucial chemical element in Nyobolt's batteries is niobium but, as Kephart pointed out, last year only an estimated 83,000 tons (94,500 tons) was mined worldwide. Compare that with graphite, commonly used as anode material in lithium-ion batteries: an estimated 1.6 million tons (1.8 million tons) was produced in 2023. In addition, there are currently "a lot of unknowns" with the niobium battery technology, he told CNN. "The industry will work it out (but) it's not seen by the industry as a scalable technology just yet," he added.

British Startup Nyobolt Demos 4-Minute Battery Charging For EVs

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  • Saying there is a risk of thermal runaway fire is only valid for the old chemistry. It's a bit like comparing Fusion and Fission.

    • by dbialac ( 320955 )
      Or comparing an 80% charge with a 100% tank fill. There are better ways forward than BEV, such as properly sourced ethanol (closed cycle if done properly).
    • by hey! ( 33014 )

      It's news to me that modern electrochemistry has completely solved the problem of thermal runaway. *Mitigated*, sure, but eliminated? So they don't have to put in measures like thermal fuses in the cells anymore?

  • But like uh that's at least a constant 680a @480v dc isn't it? All things considered like nonlinear charge curves, 100% efficiency

    Or did I miss a critical thing here. I do that.

    We don't really have EVs charging with that current do we :D?

    • There already are quite a few EVs [power-sonic.com] out there with an 800v battery. And here (the Ntherlands) there's quite a few charging stations offering 350kW charging. Both the Tesla and CCS charging standard allow up to 1 MW charging... that makes no sense with current battery technology, but it might when batteries like these come into play.
      • by timeOday ( 582209 ) on Wednesday July 03, 2024 @12:19AM (#64596661)
        (For us Americans, 350 kW equals 0.03% of 1.21 jiggawatts)
      • I'm blown away, that's sick!

    • But like uh that's at least a constant 680a @480v dc isn't it? All things considered like nonlinear charge curves, 100% efficiency
      Or did I miss a critical thing here. I do that.
      We don't really have EVs charging with that current do we :D?

      Just checked the video and it notes (at 70s) [youtube.com] "initial in-vehicle testing ... using 350kW, 800V DC fast charger ..."

      • Following up. From the video description / transcript:

        Initial in-vehicle testing this month using powerful 350 kilowatt (800 volt) direct current fast chargers has already confirmed that the Nyobolt electric vehicle’s 50 ampere-hour 35 kilowatt-hour battery can be charged from 10 percent to 80 percent in four minutes and 37 seconds. A full charge allows the prototype to achieve a range of 155 World Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure miles, which is twice the speed of most of the fastest charging vehicles available today. Notably, the first four minutes of charging at a constant current of 500 amperes provide 120 miles of range.

    • Who exactly is going to be lifting the cables is the first question that comes to my mind.

      The shore power cables on the boat were rated for 400 amps at 480 v. So it would take two of them. You'll need full service attendants at the stations again.

      Note, the boat had three cables for 1200 amps total.

      • by sjames ( 1099 )

        Apparently, EV chargers get around that using active cooling for the cables. More complex and less efficient but much easier to handle.

        • by gweihir ( 88907 )

          Actually not bad on the efficiency side. Insulated cables are really bad at radiating heat. For short lengths, the losses are pretty small though. Hence cooling does not actually need to get a lot of heat out of the cable, but no cooling and cooling, say, on the level of a PC watercooler is a massive difference.

      • by gweihir ( 88907 )

        The plan is to make the cables a lot lighter and cool them. As the cables do not actually produce a lot of heat (they are just bad at radiating it), that should work well enough.

      • Even if you were correct about having to use ridiculously heavy cables, there's still ways to do that without requiring service attendants. Like a cable suspension system that unloads most of the weight when an operator is moving it, for example.

        You might think of it as "the same thing millions of garage doors do, in able to allow people to lift them" because they can get pretty heavy too - even more heavy than an EV charger cable!

    • Re: (Score:2, Troll)

      by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

      800V DC is a new standard in modern EVs, but charging is usually capped at around 400 or so amps at that voltage.

      At least with our CCS combo europlugs that have those massively thick twin wires under the revolver cylinder style AC charging pistol.

      Here's the relevant regulation:
      https://eur-lex.europa.eu/lega... [europa.eu]

      You want to look at Annex 3 for details (close to the bottom, just search the document for "Annex III"), which specifies power output. Category 2 (DC) level 2 is specced at power over 350kW. These don'

    • No, because that would be an insane amount of power. The cables I could find for this weigh about 15kg per meter, so a hefty workout if you want to plug this in.

      • by gweihir ( 88907 )

        I have a personal estimate for 1MW cables at 10kg/m just for the copper and running at 90C. For regular temperatures and with insulation probably something like 40-50kg/m. But once you cool the cables you can bring that down dramatically.

      • Do you also require "a hefty workout" to open a garage door, or does the spring system make that several-hundred-pound lift a bit easier?

    • Two things:
      1) You won't charge these at 480V. Existing >250kW fast chargers already support 1000V and many cars coming to the market have 800V battery packs.
      2) We don't have EVs charging at that current *yet*. In fact many chargers are already capable of 400A + on existing standards and cables, while emerging standards are coming out as well. A liquid cooled charger has already been demonstrated putting out 990kW at just shy of 1000A for fast charging a truck.

  • by TechyImmigrant ( 175943 ) on Wednesday July 03, 2024 @12:39AM (#64596671) Homepage Journal

    4 minutes is not nearly enough to have a pee and get a coffee.

    15 minutes is about optimum for a road trip break while charging. My Tesla is a bit slower than that for 10-80%, but not by a lot. 4 minutes would involve having to plug in, then go back to the car and move it before you're done with whatever leg stretching you have to do.

    • by Zuriel ( 1760072 )
      Personally by the time I've plugged in, got a coffee, drank the coffee, checked my messages and peed I've usually been there for 25-30 minutes. At 80 kW my car charges pretty slowly compared to some but I've never had to wait for it when I've been ready to go.
    • by VeryFluffyBunny ( 5037285 ) on Wednesday July 03, 2024 @03:20AM (#64596831)
      Too long for me. I need, yes NEED, to be able to do a 5 hour drive, non-stop, recharge in 2 minutes, which is enough time to change my catheter bag, take some more amphetamine & caffeine pills, & then do the next 5 hour non-stop drive... every weekend, there & back. You know, just the usual /. use case scenario for an EV but they can't do it & that's why they're no good for anyone, ever.
      • Re:4 Minutes? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by serviscope_minor ( 664417 ) on Wednesday July 03, 2024 @03:41AM (#64596849) Journal

        You forgot to add that you are also doing this in the context of mysterious, nonspecific haulage job which you do on the weekends.

        • No, not a job. It's taking the family to visit more family. Too many people to justify taking a bus, train, or plane, that's why we have to drive. Freedom!
      • by twdorris ( 29395 )

        Too short for me. I gotta take 10-minute long pee breaks, in sitting position of course, while I ponder how I'm ever going to make it on that next long, grueling 1.5 to 2-hour stretch of barren highway to the next charge, trying to avoid all those mad max crazies doing 75 in a 65, practically running me off the road. And after that I need to peruse the aisles looking at all the magical delights abound trying to pick just the right combination of sweets and salties to get me through those next 150-200 mil

      • by necro81 ( 917438 )
        You forgot: while towing a 10,000-lb trailer, uphill, both ways.
      • by zlives ( 2009072 )

        "change my catheter bag, take some more amphetamine & caffeine pills,"

        clearly you don't belong here, space diapers make it so no stop is necessary.

    • Re:4 Minutes? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by twdorris ( 29395 ) on Wednesday July 03, 2024 @07:43AM (#64597119)

      move it before you're done with whatever leg stretching you have to do.

      I know that's what we'd all like to think. "Man, this 15 to 20 to THIRTY minute break sure is great."

      But the reality is that it's only marginally acceptable for the first stop of your trip. And MAYBE the 3rd or 4th. The other times, it's tedious and annoying and extends the arrival time by an hour for every, say, 600 miles of a trip.

      I own a Tesla. I love it. I own several ICE cars. I loved them too, but that love is quickly fading. The point is, I absolutely have nothing against electric vehicles.

      But I routinely take my Tesla on long road trips (600-800 miles per day) to go hike mountains and shit. The same trips I took with my ICE cars in years past. The difference in those trips is VERY noticeable. I could fly along for hours in my ICE cars, stop in for a *quick* 3-4 minute gas up, walk in for a 5-minute shopping trip for sodas and snacks and be back on my way. Every time. Without fail.

      With the Tesla...well, it varies. First, I need to research if I can find 250 kW charger or not. Then, assuming I can, I need to make sure the battery is preconditioned. Yes, the software tries to do that for you, but I'm telling you...having taking a few winter trips in this thing, that software fails. It's either starting the precondition too late or, perhaps, it just can't precondition its way out of 30F ambient temps. But even when it's 60F or 70F out, I've still arrived at the charger, plugged in and waited for 20 minutes while the same software that JUST did the preconditioning for me based on my arrival time scolds me and reminds me that I can get quicker charging times if I precondition the batteries before arrival. Yes...I did that. No, wait, YOU did that. I told you where I was going, you picked a station for me to charge at, you knew when I was going to get here and you managed the precondition process yourself! So WHY is my charge going to take 25 minutes now!? I'm not even charging to 80%!?

      Ok, sorry, got a little caught up there...but that's the point of this post. It's NOT just a "boy, this is great to stretch my legs for a few minutes" type issue. Sometimes it's that, maybe. But MOST of the time, it's "g'dammit why am I wasting my time sitting here watching Netflix waiting for the charge to finish when I REALLY wanna go hike some mountains"!?

      So, yes, if it were possible to charge in 4 minutes, I'll take it. All day long, every time. I would NEVER try to argue "but that's not long enough to go pee". That's pure silliness, IMO. Comments like that will make eyes roll from anyone even considering a switch to electric. It's got shill written all over it.

      • But the reality is that it's only marginally acceptable for the first stop of your trip. And MAYBE the 3rd or 4th. The other times, it's tedious and annoying and extends the arrival time by an hour for every, say, 600 miles of a trip.

        Good. It's preferable than extending your arrival time to infinity after dying on the way due to driver fatigue. If you have a petrol car do yourself a favour and take a 15-20min break every 2 hours. Not doing so literally impairs you the same way as drink driving does. If you won't think about others you can potentially kill, at least be selfish and think about your own survival.

        By the way a modern EV already is capable of reducing these breaks in road trips below the minimum recommended time. It doesn't t

    • You're peeing and getting coffee _every_ time you refill/recharge? You might want to see a doctor about that! Besides, 15 minutes isn't long enough to watch a feature film, so 2 hour charging is good for everyone! /sarcasm

      The goal is BEV/PHEV to get refueling parity with ICE/hybrids. BEVs are like vehicle ownership on hard mode - unless you're a homeowner with vehicle parking, the logistics of recharging are very different than ICE/hybrid.

      If you want everyone to wait 15 minutes for your pee breaks, you can

    • Just because it *can* charge in 4 minutes, doesn't mean it has to. Also, this battery pack is half the size of what's in a Model 3 and while the charge rate is not linear, you could still expect a 85kW pack to take more time than the stated 4 minutes.

      You do get irony points though - usually the goalpost moving in this subject is always about charging being too slow. A post lamenting charging too fast is a breath of fresh air.

    • 4 minutes to get to 80%. Your 15 minutes may get it to 90%.

      • At this point I think I would have just re-rated the battery pack to 30kWh and say that it gets to 100% in 4 minutes. It makes for better headlines.
  • Sothe battery works but due to the scarcity, unless there is some other reason so little was mined last year, of the metal used as the anode the technology isn’t really scalable.
  • So imagine that this breaks through all hurdles. EVs at stations charging 100s of kW. Not sure the grid can handle these tremendous unpredictable peaks.
    So, they will need... batteries in every station to buffer the peaks.
  • Which country gets lucky with this rare ingredient I wonder?
  • Assuming constant power during the charge, and 100% efficiency, the power needed is 327 kW, or one third of a MW.
    For one car.
    Good luck.
    • The fine article did say they used a rare 350 kW charger for this demonstration so it looks like the math checks out.

      What I find interesting is that they claimed a recharge from 10% to 80% but then kind of bury the point that this was with a battery that's much smaller than most BEVs would have. In other words it is likely most any existing BEV could get the same amount of miles with a 4 to 5 minute charge from one of these DC fast chargers. For most drivers that is what matters, keeping the stop for a re

      • The fine article did say they used a rare 350 kW charger for this demonstration so it looks like the math checks out.

        350kW chargers are only rare in the USA. In Europe they are rapidly becoming the norm at service stations.

        but then kind of bury the point that this was with a battery that's much smaller than most BEVs would have

        They literally dedicate a paragraph to it in TFA, and literally mention it in the first paragraph of TFS. It's not a point buried as much as it is laying on the ground as a tripping hazard.

  • ...if it pays off.
    I think we have a 'breakthrough new battery tech" story posted about once a month on /. since 2021 or so, so as cool as this sounds, nobody's holding their breath.

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