1,500 cycles, 20-min fast charging: EV battery breakthrough could end range anxiety
New anode hints at EV charging as fast as refueling, with significantly longer battery life.
Researchers in South Korea have made a significant breakthrough in battery technology by unveiling a new anode material that tackles two of the biggest hurdles for EVs: slow charging times and battery lifespan.
This innovative design promises batteries that can be charged in just 20 minutes and can endure over 1,500 charge cycles, which can eliminate range anxiety and long waits at charging stations.
“This research represents a new milestone in the development of next-generation high-performance batteries and holds promise for applications in electric vehicles, hybrid systems, and grid-scale ESS,” said Professor Soojin Park of POSTECH.
This breakthrough comes as the demand for better, faster-charging batteries surges, not just for electric vehicles but also for large-scale energy storage needed to support renewable power grids.
limitations of current graphite anodes
Today’s lithium-ion batteries primarily use graphite anodes. However, graphite’s slow charging speeds and limited energy storage capacity have been a persistent hurdle in the quest for widespread EV adoption and efficient grid-scale energy storage.
The joint research team from POSTECH and the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) developed a solution by combining hard carbon with minuscule tin nanoparticles.
Hard carbon, known for its porous structure, allows lithium ions (the energy carriers) to move much faster than in graphite, which enables rapid charging.