The pros and cons of EV batteries that fully charge in 5 minutes
Can the grid handle superfast charging?
Electric vehicles have the potential to overload local networks, and sudden increases in demand can cause problems for power generators. When cars are predominantly charged overnight or on slower chargers during the day, as happens at present, these issues are relatively easy to manage. But if high-speed charging means commuters will power up their cars on their way to and from work, then this concentrated demand for electricity will coincide with existing peaks in demand. As intermittent renewable energy becomes more common, this could cause major problems for grid system operators, since no one can order the wind to blow or the Sun to shine in convenient morning and evening bursts.
As it stands, electric vehicles are seen as a potential means to manage this intermittency through controlled charging and evenvehicle-to-grid, where car batteries can supply power back to the grid at times of low generation. Widespread adoption of rapid charging instead of home and work charging would reduce the opportunity for this type of system management.
Fast charging batteries could also reduce the environmental impact of cars and other battery devices. For most drivers, who only occasionally do long journeys, a car with a smaller, lighter battery, which will also be more efficient and cheaper, may be more attractive since there will be less inconvenience from charging stops. This could also have beneficial implications for other battery uses: perhaps you don’t need two batteries for your power tools if you can recharge in just one minute?
Ultimately, this could mean fewer batteries are needed and thus less environmental damage from extracting the materials and manufacturing them. While five-minute charging is not a complete game changer, it makes the transition to electric vehicles an easier sell.
This article byRachel Lee, PhD Candidate, Electric Vehicles,University of SheffieldandSolomon Brown, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering,University of Sheffieldis republished fromThe Conversationunder a Creative Commons license. Read theoriginal article.
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Story byThe Conversation
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