19th January 2021 Five-minute charge EV battery enters production In a major milestone for electric vehicles, factory production of ultra-fast battery charging technology has begun, utilising nano-scale metalloids and proprietary compounds.
StoreDot, an Israeli developer of lithium-ion batteries, has today announced the availability of its first-generation five-minute charge battery engineering samples – technology known as extreme fast charging (XFC) batteries. This represents a significant milestone for the company in its mission to eliminate the range and charging anxiety of electric vehicles (EVs), demonstrating the commercial viability of XFC for the first time, via a small form-factor battery cell. StoreDot is releasing the first production batch of sample cells, targeted at showcasing the technology to potential EV and industry partners. This first-generation battery has previously achieved the full charge of a two-wheeled EV in just five minutes, and can offer ultra-fast charging to a number of other industries such as commercial drones and consumer electronics. The engineering samples will demonstrate to OEMs and battery manufacturers the successful replacement of graphite in the cell's anode using metalloid nano-particles – a key breakthrough in overcoming issues of safety, battery cycle life and swelling. StoreDot's strategic partner in China – EVE Energy Co., Ltd. – produced the sample cells. Crucially, unlike competing technologies which require significant capital expenditure in bespoke manufacturing equipment, StoreDot's XFC batteries are designed to be produced on existing lithium-ion production lines at EVE Energy. The samples are compliant with UN 38.3, an international standard which ensures the safety of lithium-ion batteries during shipping. "StoreDot continues to go from strength to strength as we get one step closer to making our vision of five-minute charging of EVs a commercial reality," said Dr. Doron Myersdorf, CEO of StoreDot. "Our team of top scientists has overcome inherent challenges of XFC, such as safety, cycle life and swelling, by harnessing innovative materials and cell design. Today's announcement marks an important milestone, moving XFC for the first time beyond innovation in the lab to a commercially viable product that is scalable for mass production. This paves the way for the launch of our second-generation, silicon-dominant anode prototype battery for electric vehicles later this year. "We founded StoreDot to achieve what many said could never be done – develop batteries capable of delivering a full charge in just five minutes," Myersdorf continued. "We have shown that this level of XFC charging is possible – first in 2019 with an electric scooter and again six months ago with a commercial drone. We are proud to make these samples available, but today's milestone is just the beginning. We're on the cusp of achieving a revolution in the EV charging experience that will remove the critical barrier to mass adoption of EVs." Storedot's partners include BP, Daimler, Samsung and TDK. In 2017, it won "most disruptive company in the world" at the Disrupt 100 awards, and in 2020 was named a Bloomberg New Energy Finance Pioneer. The XFC battery can be recharged 1,000 cycles while retaining 80% of original capacity. StoreDot is aiming to deliver 100 miles of charge to an electric car battery by 2025 using available charging infrastructure. In related news, data published today by EV-volumes.com, a Sweden-based consultancy, shows that worldwide sales of electric cars increased by 43% to reach more than 3 million in 2020 – despite overall car sales falling by a fifth during the pandemic. This rapid growth trend looks set to continue as various countries begin to phase-out traditional petrol-driven vehicles, while ongoing improvements in cost and technology bring EVs to a larger market.
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