QuantumScape, a start-up that specialises in developing and producing solid-state lithium-ion batteries for use in electric vehicles, has announced that its latest battery is able to reach 80 per cent charge in just 15 minutes.
Forbes reported on the breakthrough for the business, which is being supported by both Volkswagen and Bill Gates, with the publication also revealing that, in addition to the fast charging time announced, the batteries produced by QuantumScape will have a 12-year life span and provide a range of at least 300 miles under normal driving conditions.
What’s more, the start-up also revealed that it expects its batteries to perform well in sub-zero temperatures (farenheit), which has been a sticking point for many ‘wet’ lithium-ion batteries that can see the liquid within them freeze when temperatures dip below this point, the news provider added.
Stan Whittingham, co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery and winner of the 2019 Nobel prize in chemistry, told the publication that “the hardest part about making a working solid-state battery is the need to simultaneously meet the requirement of high-energy density, fast charging, long lifecycle, while maintaining 300-plus-mile range even in cold temperatures”.
However, lithium-ion batteries may not be the only contenders for the electric vehicles of the future.
Research conducted at Washington University in St Louis recently has found that fluorine could become a viable alternative to lithium-ion.
Unlike lithium, fluorine is a relatively abundant light element, however the challenge with fluoride-ion batteries in the past has been their poor cyclability. The researchers behind this study have come up with a new approach to fluoride-ion battery design that they believe will make them cyclable and comparable in performance to lithium-ion batteries.
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