This Ultra-Fast EV Battery Recharges in 72 Seconds

Back in 2019, BMW flew me out to Frankfurt for IAA to unveil their hydrogen fuel cell X5 prototype. I spoke with Jurgen Guldner, the project lead and Vice President of the hydrogen program at BMW, and what really stuck with me about that car was the speed at which it could refuel. It was an EV that could recharge in less than 5 minutes.

To me, charging is the biggest point of friction for EV adoption. Even though on average, EVs cost $18,000 more upfront than a standard fuel vehicle, it’s the charging predicament that keeps me from buying an EV.

The network of public charging ports is one thing. That’s why the US approved $5B spending on 500k public charging ports. But speed is where we lack. With level 3 chargers, you might be lucky to get a full charge in 30 minutes. Otherwise, you’re normally looking at hours to fully charge.

But that could change.

72-Second Charge

The Swiss company, Morand, has created a new battery charging technology that greatly accelerates EV charging.

The new technology, which can charge electric cars in only 72 seconds, is a hybrid system that uses technology from traditional batteries and ultracapacitors. The new electric hybrid battery system, called eTechnology, almost halves that time, meaning it could become a great force for EV adoption.

The startup says that, during testing, a prototype of its eTechnology solution was able to recharge to 80 percent in just 72 seconds, 98 percent in 120 seconds, and 100 percent in 2.5 minutes at up to 900 A/360 kW. The company also states that Geo Technology performed independent testing. – Interesting Engineering

What’s fascinating about Morand is that it was founded by former F1 driver and team manager Benoît Morand, who played a crucial role in developing the Hope Racing Oreco 01 Hybrid, the very first hybrid prototype to start at the 24 Hours of Le Mans more than ten years ago.

Although eTechnology isn’t quite up to the standard of long-range EVs, it’s perfectly capable of small-city EVs. Morand is working to partner with other manufacturers to replace their lithium-ion batteries with the eTechnology system.

Overall, Morand is bringing us game-changing technology for the hybrid and EV market. If this is where we’re headed in the next couple of years; if we can actually get to a point where recharging an EV takes just a couple of minutes, as Morand has showcased, then I’m all in on EVs.