StoreDot, which specializes in extreme fast charging battery technology for electric vehicles, has revealed its ‘ground-breaking’ silicon-dominant technology applied in extreme fast charging (XFC) cylindrical cells. In a world-first, the company demonstrated the prototype 4680 form factor that is fully charged in just 10 minutes.
StoreDot’s extreme fast charging cylindrical cells utilize a 4680 format, the one increasingly favored by global car makers, and have been in development for over three years. Pioneering work for these breakthrough technologies was kicked off at Warwick University in the UK with collaboration with StoreDot’s strategic partner – BP. It has been further developed harnessing experts from across the globe. The work is covered with five patents in the area of cell design and uses StoreDot’s continuous tab technology. Such cell design increases throughput and addresses safety and performance issues typically associated with the hard case structure of cylindrical cells. Testing at StoreDot facility has shown promising low levels of internal resistance. Cylindrical cell samples are now ramping up the production lines at EVE Energy, StoreDot’s manufacturing partner in China.
This breakthrough means that global automotive manufacturers will be able to use StoreDot’s XFC batteries, which deliver a 50% reduction in charging time at the same cost, in both pouch and cylindrical cell forms. Both formats are undergoing scale up process at EVE Energy and will be ready for mass production in 2024.
In addition, with such format versatility, the entire industry will be able to leverage StoreDot’s newly introduced patent pending Boost Charging Technology (BOOCT) application.
Dr Doron Myersdorf, StoreDot CEO “Achieving the goal of extreme fast charging a cylindrical cell in only 10 minutes has been on StoreDot’s technology roadmap from day one. After three years of vigorous development and testing, leveraging multiple vectors of our world class researches, I am hugely proud at the effective collaboration across our globe that enabled this important achievement. It’s highly significant that we can offer Electric Vehicle manufacturers the choice of cell formats, utilizing our XFC technology that will overcome the current barriers to EV ownership: range and charging anxiety.
“We are pleased that our silicon-dominant XFC battery cell chemistry is adaptable and can be applied to various packaging formats, to suit changing market needs. Both our cylinder and pouch cell form factors are designed to be safe, reliable and stable, and are expected to be produced at scale by 2024. We are in advanced discussions with a number of global automotive manufacturers and we plan to supply them with various XFC cells, enabling a rapid transition to a zero-emissions electrified future.”
This world-first application of silicon-dominant anode extreme fast charge cylindrical cells signifies a number of considerable challenges that had to be resolved, when compared to pouch technologies. 4680 cylindrical cell format requires unique chemistry adaptation to offset greater internal pressures, gas release and avoidance of potential leakage.
StoreDot is in discussions with leading automotive manufacturers. It now has the ability to offer the automotive industry a clear technology roadmap using silicon-dominant XFC technology and then onto future generation extreme energy-density (XED), based on solid state technologies which are on target to enter mass production in 2028.
