The Danish magazine "Engineer" recently announced that charging an Electric Vehicle (EV) could take only five minutes in close future. A new production method makes it possible to manufacture battery electrodes that recharges several hundred times faster than today. This makes EVs a competitive alternative to today´s refilling of gas or diesel. Development is definitely in fast progress! Researchers in Illinois, USA, recently published an article in Nature Nanotechnology. They have discovered a new manufacturing process that allows recharging 400-1000 times faster than today. 90 % full batteries would thereby take two minutes. If this technology is integrated in the commercial market, the competitiveness of the EVs have reached a new level.
I think the battle of vehicles run by hydrogen vs electricity will stand or fall on the capacity of the batteries, how quick they can recharge and the availability of raw material. I´m looking forward to seeing the progress over the next few years!
Both the Electric Vehicles I have tried are brilliant in their respective ways. Buddy (up left) is a Norwegain Electric Urban Vehicle (EUV), meaning it´s compact, energy efficient and very practical for use in cities. Tesla Roadster (right) is an EV suitable for long distance driving as well, with a range up to 340 kilometers. It originates from California, USA. The esthetic sports car is one of the world´s fastest accelerating cars, going from 0-100 km/h in 3,7 seconds. A little like sitting in a jet airplane....
