Hyundai Motor’s ultra fast ‘Hi-Charger.’ (image: Hyundai Motor)
POHANG, Oct. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — New technology developed by South Korean researchers can charge an electric vehicle (EV) to 90 percent in less than six minutes.
A joint research team from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and Sungkyunkwan University announced Monday that they had developed EV battery technology that enables faster and more durable charging.
Thus far, decreasing the size of particles of electrode materials was the primary method to speed up charge and discharge from secondary cells or EV batteries.
The downside, however, was that this method reduced the density of energy in the cell.
The research team came up with a solution that enables quick charge and discharge without loss of energy density by creating an intermediate phase during the phase variation of charge and discharge, without having to reduce the size of electrode particles.
Phase variation is caused by phase transition materials when they transition into a new phase as lithium concedes and secedes during charge and discharge.
Electrodes for secondary cells developed by the research team can be charged to 90 percent of power in less than six minutes, and discharge 54 percent of power in 18 seconds, raising prospects for the development of secondary cells with higher output capacity.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
