New Fluid Boosts EV Charging Speed and Travel Distance

Researchers at Shell Technology have developed a new thermal fluid that could boost electric vehicle charging speeds and range, currently two of the most common barriers to EV adoption. For most potential EV buyers, total effective range and charging speed are some of the most important factors to consider.

EVs with higher ranges and faster charging speeds are more likely to be purchased, especially if customers can justify the pricing, as they are much more convenient and can be slotted into a driver’s life with ease.

Shell’s newly developed thermal fuel can reportedly lower charging speeds to around 10 minutes, making it a potential goldmine for EV makers looking to appeal to a wider array of drivers.

The thermal fluid addresses electric vehicle range and charging speed by approaching heat management in EVs from an alternate angle, resulting in an increase in charging speeds and vehicle efficiency. Shell partnered up with several firms to showcase the thermal fluid in the Triple 10 Challenge Concept Car, a compact EV prototype designed to test the improvements enabled by the thermal fluid.

Shell Chief Technology Officer Selda Gunsel says the prototype is the culmination of the firm’s efforts to challenge traditional thinking about EV development and design. The result is notably superior thermal management that enables significant performance improvements coupled with reduced lifetime emissions.

Most importantly, the new development could be key to making battery electric vehicles more accessible and practical to drivers in the U.S. For many EV drivers, charging an electric car on the road isn’t as easy as pulling into a gas station for a few minutes. Relatively long trips have to be planned in advance to ensure there are enough charging stations on the route to keep an EV charged throughout the journey.

Furthermore, charging an EV can take anything from half an hour to several hours depending on the make of the electric car and available charging technology, making driving an EV far from practical for many drivers. EVs that have more range and can charge much faster than current models would be more ideal for most buyers.

The thermal fluid developed by Shell cools the EV battery in a more direct manner compared to traditional cooling systems, allowing for delicate temperature management even during charging when battery temperatures typically spike.

This new approach reduces the need for larger, and therefore heavier, batteries for greater range, and allows batteries to charge much faster. Shell’s new concept car can go from 10% to 80% in less than 10 minutes, gaining nearly 90% more range for each minute it charges.

While the concept car isn’t meant for mass production, the design is demonstrative of how taking an alternate approach to cooling in electric cars can boost performance metrics in several critical areas and make electric cars much more attractive to potential buyers.

It would be interesting to hear what niche vehicle makers like Ferrari N.V. (NYSE: RACE) think about the competitive edge that using the fluid developed by Shell may give to electric vehicle makers that incorporate this fluid in their upcoming models.

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