EV charging in 10 minutes

A Polestar 5 prototype has charged from 10% to 80% in 10 minutes via fast charging battery pioneer StoreDot’s Extreme Fast Charging (XFC) technology.

The fully driveable verification prototype saw a consistent charge rate starting at 310kW and rising to a peak exceeding 370kW at the end of charging. 

This world first demonstration of a 10-minute 10-80% extreme fast charge using silicon dominant cells in a driveable vehicle – rather than individual cells in a laboratory environment – is the continuation of Polestar’s commitment to developing the best driving experience for the future through innovative technology partnerships.

The specially commissioned 77kWh battery pack which has the potential to be increased to at least 100kWh, could add 320km range to a midsized electric car in 10 minutes instead of taking about 30 minutes or more.

This XFC test by Polestar and StoreDot battery engineers was designed to demonstrate proof of concept for XFC battery technology that could be applied to future Polestar vehicles. 

“With this new technology, on longer journeys when drivers do stop they’ll be able to spend less time charging and be back on the road faster than before,” says Polestar chief executive Thomas Ingenlath.

“In fact, that stop time will be more akin to what they experience with a petrol car today.”

 StoreDot’s XFC technology uses silicon dominant cells with an energy density on par with nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cells and does not require specialist cooling systems in the vehicle.

The experimental XFC battery’s modules have a structural function which improves mechanical properties and cooling ability while maintaining or reducing weight levels, with high recyclability and serviceability also paramount in the pack’s design,

The test proves XFC technology works with today’s DC charging infrastructure which continues to feature more high-power DC chargers of 350kW or higher.

A film showing the testing procedure can be viewed here.