Asian battery manufacturers are in a contest to produce next-generation “rapid charging” batteries for use in electric vehicles (EVs), aiming to make the process as quick as refuelling a vehicle with petrol or diesel. The focus of the global EV market is to assuage wary consumers deterred by long charging periods and fears of insufficient battery life. Two Chinese companies, CATL and Gotion High-tech, are expected to launch batteries this year that can be replenished from 10% to 80% within a span of 10 minutes.
The ultimate objective is to reduce the charging time for an EV to approximately five minutes, thereby equating the experience to that of refuelling using conventional fuels. Andreas Breiter from McKinsey’s Center for Future Mobility in North America remarked that besides extending the driving range, swiftly charging the EV to make it convenient during travel is the other solution to eliminate “range anxiety”. However, he acknowledged that this approach presents its own compromises.
Obstacles to achieving this five-minute target include increased safety hazards, reduced battery life, scarcity of grid links, and additional expenses associated with the installation of rapid chargers. The EV sector is also battling a consumer trend towards hybrid vehicles or those running on traditional fuels as incentives for pure electric alternatives dwindle.
Moreover, South Korean automotive manufacturer Hyundai has emphasised the importance of fast charging in enhancing EV sales and argues improving infrastructure will augment customer convenience. To this end, it has formed partnerships with other carmakers to construct robust EV charging grid across North America and Europe.
However, many potential EV buyers are still dissuaded by the prospect of interrupting their journey to spend up to an hour at a charging hub. Nevertheless, a number of high-voltage EVs currently available can be charged up to 80% using “Level 3” chargers in less than 20 minutes, providing hundreds of kilometres of driving range.
Joon Park, Chief Marketing Officer for Korean charger producer SK Signet, shared that their high-speed chargers are capable of reaching an 80% battery charge within 15 minutes, thereby providing enough energy for an electric vehicle (EV) to travel the 450km distance between LA and Vegas, as an illustration.
Ideally, EV batteries should not be drained below 10%, and charging should be measured from 10% to 80% since it slows down considerably in the 80% – 100% range.
The US Department of Transportation classifies chargers into “Levels”. A 120-volt AC outlet or a “Level 1” charger, as seen in most houses, delivers about 1kW of power, sufficient to charge an EV to 80% over 40-50 hours. The 240-volt “Level 2” chargers, suited for overnight charges typically, can deliver up to 20kW, reducing charge time to 4-10 hours.
The cutting-edge “Level 3” super-fast chargers have revolutionised EV charging by supplying DC power directly to the battery and bypassing the onboard charger, which can ramp up power output to multiple hundreds of kilowatts thus significantly cutting down charge time. Tesla’s Superchargers provide up to 250kW, offering 75 miles of charge in five minutes, whilst Huawei’s leading charger can generate an impressive 600kW.
Senior Analyst at Bernstein in Hong Kong, Neil Beveridge, suggests that Chinese battery manufacturers have a competitive advantage, leading their Korean counterparts in producing cells with the fastest charging rates. Vehicle batteries like CATL’s Shenxing Plus, showcased at this year’s Beijing auto show, can charge at a rate of 1km per second, guaranteed to reach 600km in ten minutes.
In response, Korean battery manufacturers are motivated to bridge this gap. Goh Juh-young, Vice-President of Korean battery manufacturer Samsung SDI, shared plans to launch a battery in 2026, which could reach full charge in under nine minutes. The ultimate objective being the development of an EV battery equivalent to combustion-engine vehicles that gets to 600km after a five-minute fuel refill.
Lee Hang-koo, the leader of South Korea’s Jeonbuk Institute of Automotive Convergence Technology, warns that frequent use of superfast charging can deteriorate a battery’s lifespan and heighten the risk of battery fires due to overheating. This issue was echoed by Kim Je-young, the chief technology officer at LG Energy Solution, which is the globe’s largest battery manufacturer outside of China, pointing out that overheating is a significant issue with rapid charging.
One contributing factor to the prominence of Chinese batteries in the charging speed race lies in the manufacturers’ utilization of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. These appear to resist overheating more efficiently than the nickel-rich batteries produced by Korean manufacturers.
Last week saw LG Chem, the parent company of LG Energy Solution, reveal its latest invention. It introduced a temperature-responsive “safety reinforced layer”, a layer just a hundredth the thickness of a human hair, designed to lessen the chance of thermal runaway triggering battery fires.
Lee from the Jeonbuk Institute mentions that many EV owners don’t consider charging speed as the most critical aspect, and might not be prepared to bear the extra cost linked to power-intensive superfast charging. He said, “In recent surveys, most customers indicated that they find lower EV prices and longer ranges more crucial than quicker charging. They express a desire for a greater number of charging facilities rather than faster charging.”
However, Beveridge from Bernstein predicts that the EV sector is nearing a moment of transition. He believes that owning an electric vehicle won’t be seen as more complicated than having a conventionally fuelled car. Looking at innovative vehicles emerging from China, getting 700-800 kilometres out of a 10-minute charge may become the norm.
This advancement, Beveridge believes, will meet the needs of the majority of consumers, leading to the ultimate success of electric vehicles. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024.