800 km range with just a 12-minute charge?

Researchers from KAIST and LG Energy Solution have presented a breakthrough in battery technology that could allow electric vehicles to travel 800 kilometers on a 12-minute charge. The achievement was recently published in the journal Nature Energy.

These are lithium-metal batteries, which have a significantly higher energy density than lithium-ion batteries, as they use pure lithium instead of a graphite anode. Despite their advantages, lithium-metal batteries have been less widespread so far due to dendrites, or sharp lithium crystals. The latter form on the anodes during charging and can cause short circuits.

The researchers found that dendrites are formed due to uneven cohesion on the surface of lithium. As a result, they developed a new liquid electrolyte solution with an anionic structure that has a weak binding affinity for lithium ions. This allows for uniform lithium deposition on the anode and prevents the formation of dendrites even during rapid charging.

In the laboratory, the battery was charged from 5 % to 70 % in just 12 minutes, over 350 cycles. High-energy density models (386 Wh/kg) have shown the ability to charge from 10 % to 80 % in 17 minutes. If commercialized, the technology could significantly reduce charging times and increase the range of electric vehicles, thereby increasing their popularity.