Cornell University's 5‑minute charging battery could transform the electric car market

It usually takes about 30 minutes at best, but often 1-2 hours, to fully charge a typical electric car. This fact and a weak infrastructure deter many drivers from considering such a vehicle. Drivers worry about being unable to charge their car while on a journey or the tedious, long charging times. To combat this, manufacturers have increased the range of their vehicles. However, larger batteries make the cars noticeably expensive and heavy, bringing us to the drawbacks of electric vehicles.

The breakthrough by scientists from Cornell University in the US could be a game changer. As Interesting Engineering website reports, team leader Lynden Archer stated the work was primarily centered around studying the kinetics of ions during the charging process. They found that by using indium while manufacturing battery cells, the battery charging process could be significantly accelerated.

The researchers have consequently developed a lithium-ion battery that can be charged in just five minutes. "If a car battery can be charged in that interval, there would be no need for a car with a 500 km (about 311 miles) range," the scientist explained. This implies that the batteries could be smaller, rendering the cars more affordable. The price of the battery plays a pivotal role in determining the final cost of the car.

But is this the ultimate breakthrough? Only to an extent. Uncovering a mechanism that enables expedited charging is unquestionably a success. However, the problem lies in the fact that indium is a considerably heavy metal. Although a battery made with indium would indeed charge rapidly, it would be inconveniently heavy. Now, the American scientists are exploring whether there are lighter materials capable of achieving a similar outcome.