One of the main drawbacks of electric cars is they demand a lot of time to charge their battery packs or aggressive fast charging sessions that reduce their lifespans.
Now, Swiss tech startup Morand has developed an ultra-fast rechargeable battery pack that has the potential to revolutionize mobility. The energy storage solution combines the characteristics of an ultracapacitor with that of a chemical battery to create a durable and ultra-fast energy pack that can be usefully recharged in seconds.
Called Morand eTechnology, the system uses innovative hybrid ultracapacitors (HUC) cells from Sech SA in combination with advanced controllers to safely achieve eTechnology’s exceptionally high levels of performance. Morand says the eTechnology is able to charge and discharge extremely quickly with much greater reliability than other power storage systems.
During the tests, a 7.2-kWh eTechnology prototype was able to recharge to 80% in just 72 seconds, 98% in 120 seconds, and 100% in 2.5 minutes at up to 900 A/360 kW. The ultra-fast rechargeable battery pack had also independently tested by Geo Technology.
While typical chemical batteries may have an expected lifetime of 3,000-5,000 charge and discharge cycles, the cells in eTechnology can easily complete more than 50,000 cycles without obvious degradation in its capabilities. Morand also states that the longest-running test unit now approaches 70,000 cycles.
Unlike conventional lithium-ion battery packs, eTechnology has significantly less reliance on materials like lithium and cobalt. While some lithium is used, it is primarily comprised of aluminum, graphene, and carbon. Morand eTechnology, has also created a solution to protect electric vehicle packs against fire. The solution found prevents any propagation of fire outside the vehicle permanently.
The hybrid system has a long lifecycle, with minimal performance impact from temperature and a more sustainable design. It is safer than other energy storage solutions, with fire resistance and long-term reliability with very low maintenance requirements.
Morand eTechnology has countless applications, including automotive, e-mobility, robotics, aggrotech, defense, locomotives, drones, and many more. It can be used in almost every application where there is a need to recharge and discharge very quickly and effectively.
Morand is working with a manufacturing partner on low-volume production and planning to ramp up production to make eTechnology more cost-competitive with lithium-ion batteries. After the positive data obtained in the tests, the company is also looking for investors to supply it with capital for scaling production.
