We might be one step closer to a battery-powered EV that can charge as fast as it takes to refuel a gas-powered car.
Nyobolt showed off its prototype EV where its latest real-world tests at the Millbrook Proving Ground in England took less than five minutes to get it from 10 to 80 percent charge. That’s faster than some of the quickest-charging EVs on the market, like the Ioniq 6 which takes 18 minutes to get from 10 to 80 percent.
Even though Nyobolt’s EV isn’t in production yet, it shows a promising battery design that addresses one of the major pain points of EVs: the long wait times when it comes to recharging. Nyobolt isn’t the only company working on this issue, since hydrogen-powered EVs have long promised shorter refuel times. Even sticking to battery-powered EVs, BYD and CATL are working on EVs that can fully recharge in roughly 12 minutes while also offering more range.
Smaller Size, Faster Charge
As for Nyobolt’s technology, its battery can achieve such fast charging rates thanks to a combination of its proprietary anode materials, an improved battery cell design, and a whole suite of software that enables better charging performance. There are some caveats to Nyobolt’s battery design, though. Instead of going with a big battery that charges slowly like the rest of the industry, Nyobolt’s alternative is a small battery that can recharge quickly. With a smaller size, the Nyobolt also has less battery capacity, which tops out at 155 miles on a single charge.
Even though that range can’t match up against most EVs on the market nowadays, the lightweight battery means Nyobolt’s prototype only weighs 1,250 kilograms or around 2,755 lbs. That’s lighter than the weight of the Hummer EV’s battery by itself. Even with such fast charging speeds, Nyobolt said that its EV battery still has 80 percent battery health after 4,000 charging cycles. Sai Shivareddy, Nyobolt’s co-founder, added that the prototype’s battery life can go up to 600,000 miles. With all of these benefits, Nyobolt is nearing production for its prototype EV.
More Than Just Performance EVs
If you want Nyobolt’s fast-charging EV to be your next car, you’ll have to snag one of the 1,000 units the startup will produce as part of a low-volume run in 2025, according to TopGear. The company hasn’t revealed any pricing yet, but considering the next-gen battery tech and how it’s based on the Lotus Elise, we don’t expect it to be cheap.
Looking ahead, Nyobolt is also shopping its battery tech around to several OEMs, according to TheEVReport, so we might see it being used with more popular car brands. Nyobolt’s battery might not be ideal for grand-touring EVs, but it works well with any sort of performance EV that wants to cut down as much weight as possible. On the other hand, we see this smaller, fast-charging battery being the perfect complement to these entry-level mini EVs that are designed for commuting around a city. Either way, one of the biggest downsides of owning an EV might be a thing of the past soon.
