Posted on 12/10/2023 1:06:58 PM PST by Pontiac
Another electric vehicle (EV) startup is touting “holy grail” charging technology.
The news from UK-based Nyobolt might just rise to the billing, as it promises 155 miles on a six-minute charge, with production slated to start in 2024.
Most EVs take much longer, sometimes even hours, to fully charge.
“With our unique technology we have … developed smaller battery packs that can deliver more power and charge in less time,” Nyobolt CEO Sai Shivareddy told BBC Top Gear.
The Nyobolt website doesn’t go into great detail about the tech inside the battery. The makers promise high power, a long life cycle, and improved safety to go along with the extremely fast charge time.
Lithium-ion batteries, common in EVs and a lot of other technology, have, in some cases, caught fire. Battery-makers are working on better alternatives, in part to reduce the explosion risk. Nyobolt experts claim that its battery has a “wider temperature performance.”
What’s more, it plans to put the tech to the test in fast fashion. Nyobolt has teamed with the UK’s Callum Design to create a sports car. The Nyobolt EV has the curves of a vintage roadster, but there’s no doubt it’s from the 21st century. Everything on the car is as high-tech as it gets.
After watching a video showcasing the car on Callum’s website, it wouldn’t be a surprise to learn the EV comes with a warp drive (maybe in the next generation).
Motor Authority reported that Nyobolt hasn’t released a production date for the sports car. But the battery tech is ready for “rapid scale-up” next year. The power pack has been tested with more than 2,000 fast-charge cycles with good performance, according to the Motor Authority report.
It’s more good news for the EV industry as it tries to match range and performance with gasoline-powered vehicles.
Nyobolt is considering plugging into the truck, bus, and luxury categories, as well, according to Motor Authority.
The sports car could be the first big test for the startup.
“Nyobolt’s technology allows this car to tick all the boxes,” Callum creative lead Aleck Jones told Top Gear.
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Regardless it does not change the fact that with government’s war on electricity that there will be little chance that electric cars will ever be able to replace Internal Combustion engines as the motive force for personal transportation.
Even if it’s true the batteries can be charged that quickly, there is still the considerable problem of power. It takes hundreds of millions or maybe a billion joules to drive a hundred miles, so for that energy to enter the battery in a few minutes means you need megawatts of charging power, which not many places have, and they won’t be cheap.
Hmmmm? A fire starter?
“And this time we’re really, really telling the truth. Cross our hearts.”
> The makers do not reveal any of their technology or materials used… <
That statement worries me a bit. Maybe I’m just a cranky old cynic, but I’ve seen this movie before.
Step 1: Announce an amazing new technology. Be light on details.
Step 2: Attract millions of investor dollars.
Step 3: Quietly go bankrupt a year later.
Now, had this breakthrough been announced by the MIT Department of Engineering, I’d feel a lot more confident.
EV battery breakthrough stories have been a staple story topic for years. It gives hope enough to keep the investment money flowing.
“Even if it’s true the batteries can be charged that quickly, there is still the considerable problem of power. It takes hundreds of millions or maybe a billion joules to drive a hundred miles, so for that energy to enter the battery in a few minutes means you need megawatts of charging power, which not many places have, and they won’t be cheap.”
Another issue is that generally, the greater the charging speed of a battery/capacitor technology, the greater the self-discharge rate. When one of these “game changer” technologies comes up, not talking about that is an automatic alarm bell.
Let’s say it’s true, that leaves a dozen major problems with these things one of which you alluded to
Another EV scam.
Chief engineer of the secret battery project....
At least once a week we get one of these stories. No one bothers to do the underlying calculations to show it’s pie in the sky.
If they ever do a remake of Back to the Future will they use a failed EV ? They’ll never do a remake though
Gasoline works better.
Isn’t a golf cart a Sports Car in function?
Lemme guess: And it’s only two years away from commercial appliclatons?
a current Tesla when using the recently introduced 350KH charger charges at the speed of 140 miles per 6 minutes. The CyberTruck can take at that rate.
Tesla superchargers also support a ~600 KH charge rate, and 1000 KH (1 Megawatt) charge rate. That 600 KH will eventually be used for roadster and newer tesla vehicles (perhaps the Cybertuck as well). the 1M Watt is for the Tesla Semi.
On the other hand, these guys could very well just be trying to farm government incentives over the short run, and want to grab everything they can from R&D grants to manufacturing subsidies. Happens in the “renewable energy” industry all the time. A new company pops up and farms subsidies, then declares bankruptcy just as the subsidies run out, only to reappear under a new name and start the cycle anew.
Maybe it just sucks the amps out of the charger like a big sump pump /sarc
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