Electric vehicles have many advantages over conventional cars with internal combustion engines. They are quieter, more reliable, and twice as efficient as the most frugal hybrid. They also offer a smooth and powerful driving experience thanks to their instant torque.
However, these vehicles also face a major challenge compared to vehicles with internal combustion engines when it comes to driving long distances. But StoreDot, a battery company from Israel, may have a solution – an extremely fast charging (XFC) technology that can replenish 100 miles (160 km) of range in just five minutes.
StoreDot has been working on this technology for years, since a time when electric vehicles were not as popular or widespread in the automotive market as they are today. But now, the company says its “100-in-5” batteries are on track to achieve mass production readiness by 2025.
The company has partnered with Polestar, a premium electric car brand, to demonstrate the first full-scale prototype using the XFC battery tech. The technology can be integrated into battery pack formats that are already available and does not need to rely on a battery pack design revolution.
As we eagerly await StoreDot’s announcement that their battery technology is ready for launch, the potential for EV adoption to soar with the ability to charge 100 miles (160 km) in just five minutes is incredibly exciting. This breakthrough could be the key factor for mass adoption of electric vehicles. And integrating full-scale prototypes is a necessary step toward achieving this goal.
That is what Polestar plans to do in 2024, as it revealed during its “Polestar Day” event in Los Angeles. The company announced its intention to use StoreDot’s XFC battery technology at full scale in a Polestar 5 prototype in 2024.
“StoreDot is making huge strides forward in the development of their extremely fast charging technology, and we are a proud investor and partner in its evolution,” Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath says. “StoreDot’s pioneering extreme fast charging batteries, combined with our upcoming top-of-the-line electric powertrain, can revolutionize the ownership experience for EV owners with the ability to recharge in minutes.”
To drive mass EV adoption with extreme-fast charging (XFC), StoreDot has reinvented the battery chemistry by replacing the traditional Li-ion graphite anode with its patented bio-inspired active-material nanoparticles that accelerate ion diffusion for proven quick, safe, and stable charging.
The highly potent active material, synthesized with nano-sized silicon and proprietary small-molecule organic compounds, withstands silicon changes, such as the volume expansion during battery charging, issues of energy fade, preeminent rate capability limitations, and enhanced safety.
Designed to work with 350kW fast charging, the XFC cells have a completely flat charge curve, with constant current input all the way through 80% or more. This means that overall charging speeds can be much faster, as the batteries don’t taper to a slower charge rate as they fill up.
While Polestar 5 will only trial this technology for now, it will take some time before this technology becomes commercially available.
The company has already unveiled its ‘100inX’ strategic technology roadmap, outlining three generations of StoreDot technologies: Silicon dominant XFC, semi-solid state, and post-lithium architecture. They will be delivered over the coming decade with ‘100-in-5’ targeted for 2024, ‘100-in-3’ for 2028 (40% improvement), and ‘100-in-2’ for 2032 (additional 33% improvement).
“This is a huge step for StoreDot and a strong endorsement that our ground-breaking technology is readying for mass production,” said Dr Doron Myersdorf, CEO of StoreDot, in the press release. “We still have lots of work to do to fully integrate our systems into a production car, but our teams are already fully engaged, and we will be demonstrating those results in the coming months.”
