Electric car battery charges in under five minutes during track test

An electric car battery developed by UK start-up Nyobolt has successfully charged from 10% to 80% in four minutes and 37 seconds during its first live demonstration.

The test, conducted with a specially built concept sports car on a track in Bedford, is part of industry-wide efforts to accelerate electric vehicle (EV) charging times.

For comparison, a Tesla supercharger typically takes 15-20 minutes to charge a car battery to 80%.

Experts emphasize that eliminating “range anxiety” is crucial for increasing EV adoption, alongside improving charging infrastructure. Paul Shearing, Professor of Sustainable Energy Engineering at Oxford University, told the BBC, “Developing technology that enables people to charge more quickly, akin to the time it currently takes to refuel a car, is really important. However, there needs to be more chargers of all types. People will want fast-charging infrastructure regardless of the car they’re using.”

The sports car equipped with the Nyobolt battery achieved a range of 120 miles after the four-minute charge. In comparison, a Tesla charged to 80% typically has a range of up to 200 miles.

Dr. Sai Shivareddy, co-founder of Nyobolt, expressed satisfaction with the results but admitted that the tests were “nerve-wracking.” The live demo, conducted in front of an audience of industry professionals, faced challenges including the UK heatwave, a failure in the car’s cooling system, and the use of a standard on-site charger not made by Nyobolt. These factors prevented the recreation of laboratory results, where the battery charged from 0% to 100% in six minutes.

Despite the setbacks, Dr. Shivareddy described the event as “a big milestone for electrification,” humorously noting that his own car was still charging after being plugged in earlier that day.