• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • General Motors Recalls Nearly 500,000 SUVs
  • Unions Win with Provisions in New EV Tax Credit Rules
  • Dodge Eases Sting of Lost Muscle Cars with New Hornet
  • Mercedes-Benz Teases EQE SUV’s Interior
  • Polestar 6 Roadster Confirmed for Production in 2026
  • First Look: Chevy’s Ultimate Off-Road Pickup, the 2023 Silverado ZR2 Bison
  • Say Farewell to Dodge Charger, Challenger — And Welcome Back to Durango Hellcat
  • NHTSA Opens Brake Hose Query; Could Result in Recall of 1.7M Ford Vehicles
  • Check Out the Latest Info on EVs, Executives and More on the Headlight News Podcast
  • Top U.S. Auto Safety Chief Leaving After Three Months
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2022 Toyota Tundra TRD 4x4
    • First Drive: 2023 Hyundai Palisade
    • A Week With: 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited AWD
    • A Week With: 2022 Mercedes Sprinter 2500 Cargo Van
    • A Week With: 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid EX AWD
    • A Week With: 2022 Volkswagen Golf GTI 2.0 Autobahn
    • A Week With: 2022 Infiniti QX60 Luxe AWD
    • First Drive: 2023 Genesis G90
    • A Week With: 2022 BMW M4 Competition xDrive Convertible
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automakers > New Technologies Could Make Charging as Quick and Easy as Filling a Gas Tank

        New Technologies Could Make Charging as Quick and Easy as Filling a Gas Tank

        Ford/Purdue system keeps things cool to pass more power.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Nov. 10, 2021

        There are a number of obstacles limiting public acceptance of battery-electric vehicles, everything from price and range to the lack of a nationwide public charging network. And then there’s the hassle of waiting once a battery-electric vehicle is plugged in.

        Ford and Purdue EV battery research
        Ford researchers are working with Purdue University to invent a method for charging stations deliver significantly more power compared to today’s leading systems

        At best it takes 20 minutes or more to get an 80% recharge using the latest “quick” chargers. And with most BEVs, that can push to an hour or more. But a new technology being developed by researchers at Ford and Purdue University could bring those times down to the point where an EV can charge up as quickly as a motorist can fill a gas tank.

        The Ford system uses a novel technology capable of “pumping” out more current than today’s chargers. Meanwhile, researchers at General Motors and elsewhere are focusing on new battery designs that can store energy more quickly.

        “Today, chargers are limited in how quickly they can charge an EV’s battery due to the danger of overheating,” said Michael Degner, senior technical leader, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering.

        More power, more heat

        There are a variety of different types of chargers. Level 2 systems, the one most commonly in use today, deliver 240 volts of AC power. For a vehicle capable of delivering 300 miles of range they typically require eight hours or more if the battery pack is drained. Quick chargers switch to 400-volt DC current and can provide anywhere from 50 to 350 kilowatts of energy.

        Ford Purdue battery research two
        Ford researchers have successfully completed an early step with Purdue University inventing a new, patent-pending method for charging.

        “Charging faster requires more current to travel through the charging cable,” said Degner. “The higher the current, the greater the amount of heat that has to be removed to keep the cable operational.”

        Today’s 350 kW chargers use a liquid cooling system for the cable that plugs into an EV. But the Ford/Purdue liquid-to-gas system appears to dissipate substantially more heat, Degner claims, and that would allow it to deliver even more power.

        “The cable uses liquid as an active cooling agent, which can help extract more heat from the cable by changing phase from liquid to vapor,” Ford explained in a statement, “the key difference between this and current liquid-cooled technology on the market.”

        The system will now go through a two-year test program that could lead to it being put into production, said Issam Mudawar, a professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue.

        The better battery

        Heat doesn’t just build up in the charging cable. It’s also a problem within the battery itself. And that also limits the speed at which a pack can charge. Excess heat also presents a risk of fire, especially if there are manufacturing defects within a battery — as is the case with the Chevrolet Bolt EV now being recalled.

        Onboard climate control systems dissipate heat — but only so quickly. Other researchers are focusing on ways to improve the battery itself in order to speed up the charging process. As with a charger, the challenge is overcoming resistance that creates heat and limits the speed at which energy can flow.

        Researchers are looking at solutions that include new materials for a battery’s cathode and anode, as well as new chemistries for the slurry of liquid inside today’s lithium-ion batteries. GM President Mark Reuss told TheDetroitBureau.com this approach could reduce charging times for the automaker’s new Ultium batteries to as little as 10 minutes — though he doesn’t expect to reach that target until late this decade.

        Even more dramatic approaches are under development. Solid-state batteries replace the goo inside a battery with a solid “substrate,” such as a ceramic. That promises less resistance and heat, among other benefits. And there could be entirely new batteries in the industry’s future, such as aluminum ion and metal air.

        A better experience for EV owners

        Whatever the approach, finding a way to speed up battery charging will prove just as important as expanding the public charging network, said Stephanie Brinley, principal auto analyst with IHS Markit.

        “It comes down to a better holistic experience for the driver” that makes it easier to switch from internal combustion to battery-electric power, said Brinley.

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published

        General Motors Recalls Nearly 500,000 SUVs

        Today
        2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition

        Unions Win with Provisions in New EV Tax Credit Rules

        Today
        2023 Dodge Hornet Night Beauty Shot scaled REL

        Dodge Eases Sting of Lost Muscle Cars with New Hornet

        Yesterday

        One response to “New Technologies Could Make Charging as Quick and Easy as Filling a Gas Tank”

        1. Jim says:
          November 11, 2021 at 12:37 pm

          In only 10 more years………………

          Reply

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2022
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: