Fast charging without battery loss claim

A new company reckons it has found a faster way of charging EV batteries to add more than 190km range in five minutes without impacting on the battery.

GBatteries, led by battery and tech industry experts, says it’s developed an adapter that can make using charging stations as fast as conventional refuelling.

It says the artificial intelligence-powered charging algorithm is capable of high charge rates with lower heating and less degradation of lithium-ion batteries, Axios reports.

GBatteries says the project has been quietly under development for six years and will combat range anxiety. It says the adapter that connects fast-charging stations and battery packs could get a standard 60kWh pack with a 380km range charged halfway within five minutes.

The system uses high-frequency “pulses” rather than traditional constant current, constant voltage charging methods.

However, it is likely to be several years away from commercial deployment.

Canada-based GBatteries says it has “several active pilot projects with automotive manufacturers worldwide,” but did not name them, Axios says.

The company includes chairman Bart Riley, who co-founded the pioneering battery company A123 Systems; chief executive officer Kostyantyn Khomutov, who has a background in aerospace engineering; and chief engineer Alex Tkachenko, who previously worked with telecom players Nortel and Ericcson.