StoreDot, an Israeli startup company, announced its project to create a solution for recharging an electric car's battery in just 5 minutes. The company, which has previously promoted its technology that can charge a smartphone in 30 seconds, now plans to apply the same technology among electric cars.
The company presented in a video an array of 7000 StoreDot cells that could enable five-minute electric car charging. According to the company, a single EV FlashBattery module comprises thousands of cells. When fully charged in just a matter of five minutes, the EV FlashBattery stores enough energy to allow an electric car to travel 300 miles (480 km).
Such product would certainly find its market and could boost the interest for electric vehicles when range, charging times and cost have all become more efficient. Ecomento, a website specialised in hybrid and electric cars, declared on Thursday, Aug. 20, that battery research and expended interest in electric vehicles are directly connected.
Stephen Edelstein describes the project of StoreDot as a solution that can speed up charging by a new variant of the industry standard lithium-ion batteries. The Israeli startup is using nanotech to create new organic materials that can offer lower resistance than traditional materials used in current lithium-ion battery cells. This allows electricity to flow through the battery more easily.
Paul Sawers in VentureBeat declared that companies are eager for breakthroughs, and this is an area that could offer lucrative rewards for packing the biggest power into the smallest possible space as well as in the shortest timeframe.
StoreDot's team developed "proprietary organic compounds" that are able to improve the performance of devices, including sensors, displays, digital memories, and batteries. These organic compounds are molecules of non-biological origin synthesized chemically. The team added that these organic molecules have demonstrated "uniquely tunable" electrochemical and optical properties. They can allow enhanced performance of energy storage devices and emission of vivid saturated colors in a new type of displays.
There are several competing technologies based on metals, including toxic and heavy metals. However, StoreDot's organic compounds stand out by being environmentally safe and non-toxic. According to the company, their 'FlashBattery' contains non-flammable organic compounds in addition to lithium, encased in a multi-layer safety-protection structure. This ensures prevention of heating and over-voltage and is much safer than traditional lithium-ion batteries.
The cost is also minimised and the charging experience is somehow similar to fueling a regular gasoline car, according to StoreDot. The cost of ownership per mile for an EV FlashBattery is reduced to only half compared to the existing electric-vehicle batteries.
