An electric car battery developed by UK start-up Nyobolt has successfully charged from 10% to 80% in four minutes and 37 seconds in its first live demonstration. By comparison, an existing Tesla supercharger can charge a car battery to 80% in 15-20 minutes.
The Cambridge-based battery technology company revealed its first running EV prototype, showcasing its high-power density, fast-charging battery technology. The prototype, designed in collaboration with Callum, aims to validate the company’s battery performance and demonstrate its potential to revolutionize EV charging times.
The Nyobolt EV’s 50Ah 35kWh battery has achieved a charging time of just 4 minutes and 37 seconds to go from 10% to 80% state of charge, using a 350kW DC fast charger. This is approximately twice as fast as the current fastest-charging vehicles on the market. The fully charged battery provides a range of 155 WLTP miles.
Dr. Sai Shivareddy, Nyobolt’s co-founder and CEO, explained the significance of their technology: “Despite some OEMs showing fast charge times in the region of 15 minutes, a closer inspection reveals the charge is usually across a limited SOC region specifically chosen to limit the amount of life taken out of the cell; for instance, between 20-80 per cent.”
One of the key advantages of Nyobolt’s technology is its resistance to degradation typically associated with fast charging. The company’s 24.5Ah cells have completed over 4,000 full depth of discharge fast charge cycles while retaining over 80% battery capacity. This equates to over 600,000 miles of use in the Nyobolt EV pack.
Shane Davies, Nyobolt’s director of vehicle battery systems, highlighted the potential impact on the automotive industry: “We can enable OEMs to build excitement back into the segment, which is literally weighed down by legacy battery technology currently.”
The Nyobolt EV prototype weighs just 1,250kg, demonstrating the potential for lighter, more efficient electric vehicles. The company’s battery technology could also be retrofitted to existing EV platforms, offering significant improvements in charge time and battery life.
Nyobolt’s technology is based on a decade of research led by University of Cambridge battery scientists. The company’s unique low impedance cells generate less heat during charging, allowing for faster electron transfer between the anode and cathode.
While the primary focus is on automotive applications, with Nyobolt in discussions with eight vehicle OEMs, the technology also has potential uses in robotics and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. The company plans to begin low-volume production of its battery packs within a year, with the capacity to scale up to two million cells per year.
