EV breakthrough
If new car sales are to shift to electric vehicles (EVs) then two major drawbacks need to be overcome: they are slow to charge and they are expensive. As far as charging, depending on the vehicles’ battery some can take all day to charge. Batteries operate most efficiently when they are hot, but not too hot. Keeping batteries at the right temperature has been a challenge for engineers and has relied on bulky external heating and cooling systems which respond slowly. In a breakthrough, researchers have found a way to regulate temperature from inside the battery using an ultrathin nickel foil which allows most batteries to be charged within 10 minutes. This improvement in charge capability will allow for downsizing EV batteries from 150kWh to 50kWh without causing “range anxiety” for drivers. Since there are not enough raw minerals for all cars to be equipped with 150kWh batteries, this could be a development that allows EVs to go mainstream. Source: Nature