The Last Real Disadvantage of EVs Could Soon Become a Thing of the Past

Electric cars have been around for a long time, but only recently have they begun to be purchased by motorists in significant numbers. This sudden leap in popularity is not coincidental, and a combination of two important factors lie behind the long-awaited emergence of EVs as a mass commercial product.

The first is the increasing urgency of the climate emergency (and the stringent targets now imposed by various governments and global organizations) while the second is simply that the technology is finally at the point where EVs can now more or less match gas vehicles in performance.

We say “more or less” because there are actually a few very minor areas in which gas-powered vehicles still have a slight edge. Although a fundamental difference between an electric motor and an internal combustion engine (the lack of transmission) means that that EV can actually accelerate faster, gas-powered vehicles still have the edge when it comes to top speed.

Although the top speed is rarely a priority for car owners (at least outside of the sportscar market), so this is hardly an urgent issue. What is still quite the sticking point, however, is the issue of charge time. Although EV batteries can now provide hundreds of miles to the charge, the time it takes to charge them right up is still considerably longer than the time it takes to visit a petrol station and fill the car up.

Bearing in mind that EV charging stations are still not quite as widespread as conventional petrol stations (although that is something that will certainly change in time), this particular drawback can lead to what is known as “range anxiety”, whereby potential EV users are simply a little concerned that the potential to get stranded with an EV is higher than with a conventional gas-powered vehicle.

Range anxiety is not an unfounded concern, especially among those who require or wish to travel long distances, often outside of cities, and who simply do not see the EV as a viable alternative to petrol cars for such purposes. Increased charging stations is half of the solution, but the issue of charge time still needs an answer.

And it takes real innovation for a problem like this to be overcome. Proponents of EV cars need to keep in mind that there is a public to win over as well as a technological problem to surmount. The thought of driving for miles in an EV car (as opposed to simply scooting around a city) seems to many like an unfeasible proposition.

And consumers will typically be fussy before making big purchases or switching from a product type they have always used. Modern consumers are discerning about everything, from the proper energy-saving lightbulb for their study to the best fire extinguisher for home use.

A New Battery

It bodes well for the future success of the EV car then, that a product that could finally allay range anxiety might be just around the corner. A company out of Israel called StoreDot has created a new 4680 car battery that claims a charging time of only ten minutes, bringing the time it takes to fill up an EV almost into the same ballpark as the time taken to fill a car with petrol.

StoreDot claims its design “increases throughput and addresses the safety and performance issues typically associated with the hard case structure of cylindrical cells”. StoreDot claims its new battery is perfectly capable of achieving commercial viability. If that is the case, then the new battery is certainly likely to be a game-changer.

Patience is Required

StoreDot is not basing its claims on their word. There have been tests run that have shown EVs traveling for 100 miles on just five minutes of the charge. The issue though is that this merely suggests the battery has what it takes to be a commercially viable solution to the range issues of EVs as they currently exist.

You would happily bet on it – and the technology certainly seems to work on paper – but as things stand a prototype test run demonstrating the ten-minute charge time and extended range have yet to be carried out.

But then again, it is still early days. The company says that the production will not be ready to proceed until at least 2024. As the name suggests, the 4680 battery is made up of cylindrical cells measuring 46×80 mm.

The entire battery system is no bulkier than the batteries that are currently used for EVs, so if the technology checks out and batteries can be produced to a cost-effective standard, then there is no reason the significantly longer charge time of EVs could not soon become a thing of the past.

Competition

Although their battery is not in as advanced a stage of development as StoreDot’s, the Israeli company is now seeing some competition to produce the battery for the market. None other than Tesla – probably the most eminent and game-changing company producing EVs –have very recently announced their own plans for a battery with a short charging time.

This is only to be expected, as battery charge time has been the number one technical issue facing EVs since other performance challenges such as general performance and the rollout of an adequate charge station network have been successfully met.

StoreDot has also announced their plans for a solid-state battery that could offer further benefits for EVs, but with the need for such a battery-less urgent, they estimate that production on that is unlikely to begin before 2028.

The challenge from Tesla though is only likely to increase the urgency of making StoreDot’s low charge time battery fit for the market. It could even be the case that the originally cited 2024 production deadline could be brought forward.

Whatever happens, this is only good news for prospective EV owners, and it seems like the solution to the last niggling problem with this technology could, at last, be solved.