One of the biggest pain points of electric vehicles is how long they take to charge. While we have seen some recent developments in fast-charging EVs—like the Ioniq 6, which can charge from 10 to 80 percent in just 18 minutes—others can take much longer. But Nyobolt recently showed off a prototype that could bring us one step closer to recharging EVs nearly as fast as we refill gas-powered vehicles.
Nyobolt showed off what the new prototype could do at the Millbrook Proving Ground in England. And it harks back to a lot of the improvements that we’re also seeing from companies like BYD—which recently showcased a hybrid drivetrain that can drive 1,250 miles without needing to refuel.
As for the technology behind Nyobolt’s new battery, it can achieve faster charging by using a proprietary selection of anode materials. This helps provide improved battery cell design, and combined with a suite of software, the charging performance is improved even more. This all comes together to create a fast-charging EV that could dethrone the other options on the market right now.
Mini EVs like the Eli ZERO could benefit greatly from the fast-charging battery that Nyobolt has showcased. Image source: Eli
There is a caveat, though. While being able to recharge quickly, the battery has an exceptionally smaller size and offers roughly 155 miles on a single charge. This is another pain point of the electric vehicle market, as many customers are looking for vehicles that can not only charge quickly, but can also travel for longer distances before they need to be recharged.
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Still, there’s something to be said for a fast-charging EV that can be recharged in less than ten minutes, let alone less than five minutes. And that smaller battery also means that the battery weighs much less—just around 2,755 pounds—making it much lighter than standard EV batteries we’re seeing on the market right now.
Nyobolt hasn’t started production on its new prototype EV just yet. But, when it does, it’s likely we’ll see the company shopping its tech around to different OEMs and car brands, especially those that offer performance EVs or entry-level mini EVs for commuting around the city