New Carbon-Ion Battery Charges in Seconds

A British startup is showing off a new type of battery capable of charging in a matter of seconds. Zap&Go developed the innovative rapid-charge carbon-ion cells at its Oxford laboratory. Specifically, the carbon-ion cell pairs a power pack and a cordless device for direct power transfer. However, while the current models only carry small charges, the company recently won an EU Horizon 2020 €1.43m. Eventually, Zap&Go hopes to use the grant to develop its existing prototype cordless tools.

Rapid-Charging Carbon-Ion Battery – A Boon for Electric Vehicles

Beyond cordless tools, Zap&Go see much potential for its fledgeling technology in electric vehicles (EVs). As EVs increase in popularity, how will charging stations cope with the demand of long recharge times? Well, Zap&Go hopes to be at the forefront of EV quick-charging solutions. In fact, the company aims to charge an EV in the same time it takes to refuel a petrol-engine vehicle.

Stephen Voller, Zap&Go’s CEO, says:

“We have successfully demonstrated how to reduce recharge times from hours to five minutes with our Carbon-Ion cells and ‘instant charging’ represents the next stage of the development of our technology. Since we have the technology to charge a cordless drill in 15 seconds, we expect to be able similarly improve EV charging rates, thereby solving one of the main obstacles to making EVs the new standard.”