Mahle Powertrain and Allotrope Energy today unveiled a new lithium-carbon battery that it claims needs no rare earth metals and can recharge extremely quickly. So quickly, in fact, that the type of battery a moped uses could be recharged in as little as a minute and a half.
The battery chemistry combines the benefits of supercapacitors with traditional lithium-ion batteries. It features a high-rate battery-type anode and a high capacity electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC)-style cathode, which is separated by an organic electrolyte.
The result, the companies claim, is a battery that suffers none of the thermal degradation effects of lithium-based batteries and is stable at high temperatures. That means that high current delivery and fast charging are possible without complex external cooling or elaborate battery management systems.
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The capacitor-style anode also allows for a lifetime of more than 100,000 cycles, much more than lithium-ion batteries. And without rare earth metals, they’re easier to fully recycle.
Although it’s not hard to imagine a number of scenarios in which these batteries would be useful, their charging speed and reliability mean they don’t have to be as big, making them particularly useful for small vehicles.
Mahle has specifically investigated the battery’s use for mopeds making fast-food deliveries. Imagining a 25 km (15.5-mile) target range, an electric moped with a 500 Wh lithium-ion battery would need 30 minutes of charging mid-shift even with a fast charger and the battery would need to be replaced every year or two. The lithium-carbon battery, on the other hand, could be recharged between deliveries at 20 kW in just 90 seconds and would last much longer.
Moreover, Mahle has also designed a charging system that can augment a 7 kW single-phase connection up to the desired charging speeds as a cost-effective solution.
“Range anxiety is often quoted as the main barrier to electric vehicle adoption, but if the battery could be recharged in the same time it takes to refuel a conventional IC engine vehicle, much of that worry goes away,” said Dr. Mike Bassett, Mahle Powertrain’s Head of Research.
