Battery discovery could charge EVs ‘in seconds’

Electriccarscouldbecharged in a matter of seconds using a revolutionarybatterysystem, it has been claimed.

ResearchersattheUniversity of Glasgow have adapted nano-molecules so they are able to store either electric power or hydrogen gas, creating a flexible dual-output battery system.

The energy released can take the form of electricity or gas – meaning that the system could be used flexibly in situations that might require fuel or electric power.

The team of chemists says the breakthrough could lead to electric cars being charged in seconds, as the nanomoleculescanbecontainedin a pumpable liquid.

This could mean that the batteryofanelectriccarcould be “recharged” in roughly the same length of time as petrol cars are today, with the old battery liquid being removed simultaneously.

The research, published in the journal Nature Chemistry, was led by Professor Leroy Cronin, the University of Glasgow’s Regius Chair of Chemistry.

“For future renewables to beeffective,highcapacityand flexible energy storage systems are needed to smooth out the peaks and troughs in supply,” he said.

“Ourapproachwillprovide a new route to do this electrochemically and could even have application in electric cars where batteries can still take hours to recharge and have limited capacity.

“Moreover, the very high energy density of our material could increase the range of electriccars,andalsoincrease the resilience of energy storage systems to keep the lights on at times of peak demand.”

Research published by the AA last month suggests attitudes to electric cars are changing. Half of young people in the UK said they would like to own one compared.

However, the survey also found that more than two thirdsofpeoplethinkEVstake too long to charge, while 85 per cent wanted more public charging points.