The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced $19 million to support twelve new cost-shared research projects focused on batteries and vehicle electrification technologies to enable extreme fast charging. Selected research projects are focused on developing electric vehicle systems that can recharge rapidly at high power levels, decreasing typical charge times to 15 minutes or less using a connector or wireless fast charging system.
DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy invests in early-stage research to enable private-sector development and commercialization of affordable, energy efficient transportation technologies that can strengthen our energy security, support U.S. economic growth, and offer consumers and businesses additional transportation choices. The projects announced today will help advance DOE’s research on batteries and electrification aimed at reducing battery pack cost to under $100 per kilowatt-hour, increasing range to over 300 miles, and charging in under 15 minutes or less by 2028.
Recharging current EV batteries takes much longer than refueling the average liquid-fueled internal combustion vehicle. Slower charge rates are required to allow the lithium-ions to penetrate to the deepest portions of the active material on the electrode. Charging at too high a rate runs the risk of lithium plating, increased battery temperature, and other detrimental side chemical reactions which decrease life and performance characteristics of the batteries. According to the DOE, the nine selected battery projects listed below focus on advanced anodes, electrolytes, and battery cell designs that can be charged rapidly—in less than 10 minutes—while still maintaining performance over the 10-year life goal.
- Regents of the University of California, University of California San Diego (San Diego, Calif.) – $650,000
- Pennsylvania State University (University Park, Penn.) – $1,000,000
- Regents of the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Mich.) – $1,500,000
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (Menlo Park, Calif.) – $1,500,000
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) – $900,000
- Microvast Inc. (Orlando, Fla.) – $1,500,000
- Research Foundation for the State University of New York – Stony Brook University (Stony Brook, N.Y.) – $800,000
- University of Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.) – $720,000
- Coulometrics, LLC (Chattanooga, Tenn.) – $1,000,000
According to the DOE, the three selected electrification projects listed below will develop and verify electric drive systems and infrastructure for electric vehicle extreme fast charging, which increases charging power levels from current home charging at 7 kW to power levels up to 400 kW. They will also reduce typical charging times from 8 hours down to 15 minutes or less.
- Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification Inc. (Salt Lake City, Utah) – $4,300,000
- Delta Products Corporation (Fremont, Calif.) – $3,500,000
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) – $2,200,000
