UK Startup Demonstrates 10-80% EV Charging in Less Than 5 Minutes

­In any discussion of electric vehicles, two topics are usually front and center – the prevalence of charging stations/infrastructure and fast charging. Because if people can’t charge their vehicles away from home and relatively quickly, it greatly limits the target audience. And UK startup Nyobolt may have made significant progress on the charging front.

The Cambridge-based company has successfully charged an EV from 10% to 80% in a mere four minutes and 37 seconds. This isn’t a theoretical breakthrough, like when the University of Adelaide found that one could potentially charge a lithium sulphur (Li-S) battery in < 5 minutes.

That, in itself, was exciting news, but this is the real thing.

The company took a custom-built sports car and added their own, novel take on the lithium-ion battery (with an unknown material for the anodes), showcasing the vehicle on a race track in Bedford, England.

And notwithstanding a problem with the car’s cooling system, the team was able to charge it from 10%-80% in < 5 minutes. What’s more – if they hadn’t experienced some on-site hiccups, they might’ve been able to replicate their lab results, which saw them go from 0 to 100% in 6 minutes.

Officially, the 35kWh battery has a range of 250 km (155 miles), though the 80% charge was good for about 120 miles.

Dr. Sai Shivareddy, co-founder of Nyobolt, described the breakthrough as a “a big milestone for electrification,” and even in the ultra-competitive fast-charging space, it’s hard to argue.