News

$19 Million for Extreme Fast EV Charging and Advanced Battery Development

May 01, 2018 by Paul Shepard

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding $19 million in funding to 12 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.

The projects will help advance DOE’s research on development of extreme fast battery charging systems and advanced batteries with the goals of reducing battery pack cost to less than $100 per kilowatt-hour, increasing range to more than 300 miles, and charging in under 15 minutes or less by 2028.

The selected electrification projects 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 7kW to power levels up to 400kW. They will also reduce typical charging times from 8 hours down to 15 minutes or less.

Funding awards for development of extreme fast battery charging were issued to:

  • Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification Inc. Develop high-power wireless extreme fast charging technology that reduces charging time for electric drayage trucks at the Port of Los Angeles. DOE award: $4,292,137.
  • Delta Products Corporation. Design and test a high-efficiency, medium voltage solid- state transformer based 400-kW extreme fast charger for electric vehicles. DOE award: $3,499,962.
  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Develop a high power inductive extreme fast charging system that is fully automated, modular, and scaleable for electric vehicles. DOE award: $2,207,902.

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.

Nine of the selected battery projects 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:

  • UC San Diego. Research surface-acoustic wave turbulent electrolyte mixing during charging to enable rapid charging. DOE award: $653,641.
  • Pennsylvania State University. Research advanced battery cell designs and strategies to operate and improve life and fast charging at higher temperatures. DOE award: $1,000,000.
  • University of Michigan. Research three-dimensional hierarchical graphite architectures for anodes for fast charging. DOE award: $1,500,000.
  • SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Research of an advanced electrolyte and optimized cell design to enable extreme fast charging. DOE award: $1,500,000.
  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Novel electrolyte research that increases the transport rate of lithium-ion from cathode to anode. DOE award: $900,000.
  • Microvast Inc. Develop new electrolyte additives, optimized active materials, and electrode formulations. DOE award: $1,500,000.
  • State University of New York - Stony Brook University. Research to control lithium deposition over-potential on metal-coated graphite electrodes. DOE award: $800,000.
  • University of Tennessee. Research on high power, doped titanium-niobium oxide anodes. DOE award: $720,000.
  • Coulometrics, LLC. Research advanced battery cell designs with lower resistance to enable extreme fast charging. DOE award: $1,000,000.