Nyobolt's prototype electric car charges almost as fast as a conventional internal combustion engine car charges with petrol, the company claims it is "twice as fast as most of today's fastest vehicles" and reports that "the first four minutes are at a constant current of 500 amps, [and] provides a range of 120 miles (193 km)".
However, there are a few important caveats that need to be mentioned. The biggest one is that the prototype has a modest 35kWh battery by modern standards. This helps explain why the sports car's range on the WLTP cycle is only 155 miles (249 kilometres). However, Nyobolt sees the small battery as an advantage because of its light weight.
Nyobolt says the key to fast charging was "patented next-generation carbon and metal-oxide anode materials, innovative low-impedance cell design, [as well as] integrated power electronics and software control." The company claims to have solved the battery's degradation issues as its 24.5 Ah cells have already successfully completed more than 4,000 full rapid charge and deep discharge cycles, equating to a mileage of more than 600,000 miles (965,606 kilometres). At the same time, the remaining capacity was 80 per cent.
As for the prototype electric car as a whole, it, like the first Tesla Rodster, is based on a Lotus. The electric car supports 350 kW DC fast charging and weighs just 2,756 pounds (1,250 kg). The model has been designed in conjunction with Callum in a way that allows for small-scale production. There is no word yet on whether this is planned, but Nyobolt says it could start producing batteries in small volumes within a year.
Source: Nyobolt
