The news that MIT researchers have developed a lithium material that dramatically shortens battery charging times changes the equation for electric cars. It’s a long way from the lab to the showroom, but the battery breakthrough is a big step toward making electric cars eminently practical.
Even though most of us drive fewer than 40 miles each day, the ranges allowed by today’s battery technologies are a major psychological barrier. And most of us do drive several hundred miles at a go now and then.
Eventually batteries will store enough energy to give electric vehicles the ranges we expect from our cars. Fast-charging batteries could solve the problem before then.
Imagine an electric car with a 100-mile range, something that’s likely to be widely available within five years. If it has a fast-charging battery — say something that allows 10-minute pit stops — people’s perception of electric cars could change dramatically. The recharging stops would be more frequent and a few minutes longer than today’s refueling stops, but I think the experience would be similar enough that people will stop thinking of electric cars as range-limited.
Highway refueling stops usually involve answering nature’s call, buying snacks and/or stretching legs. Behaviorally, the only difference would be that instead of doing these activities before or after refueling, people will do them while their cars are recharging.
It’s clear that liquid fuels will be the dominant power source in the transportation sector for years to come, if for no other reason than the time it takes to replace the installed base of internal combustion engine vehicles. And plug-in hybrid vehicles are an important transition technology. But the best option is electric vehicles powered by renewable energy sources, especially with the expected boom in the global car population thanks to China and India. Fast battery technology could be a critical factor in establishing electric vehicles in time to make a difference.
[...] us to get past the idea that electric cars are limited in how far they can travel. Here’s an earlier post with more thoughts on the [...]