While sales of electric vehicles are growing every year, the world of research promises significant advances in this sector for the coming years.
From a few tens of minutes to several hours, the recharging time of an EV remains a strong argument for the most skeptical. But new technology being developed for space missions could drastically reduce it.
New cables for the conquest of space
In partnership with Purdue University, NASA has developed what it calls the ” subcooled flow boiling “. This technology allows electrical cables to support higher loads by cooling them, resulting in faster electrical flow without the risk of overheating. This will support many of the agency’s projects that require increasingly complex devices requiring very specific temperatures to operate. Among the projects that will benefit, NASA mentions on its blog “ nuclear fission power systems for missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond “, but also ” vapor compression heat pumps for lunar and martian habitats “.
But, the researchers also foresee practical use on dry land. Indeed, they claim that their work could be extended to electric vehicles: “ This same technology could make owning an electric car here on Earth easier and more feasible. The application of this new technology has allowed [une] unprecedented reduction in the time required to charge a vehicle. They advertise a five-minute cooldown, and they say that will be very applicable for years to come.
Current up to 4.6 times higher
It is at Purdue University that a prototype is being developed which reproduces ” all the characteristics of a real charging station: it includes a pump, a tube of the same diameter as a real charging cable, the same controls and instruments, and it has the same flow rates and temperatures “. The difference is that the current it would be able to deliver would be 4.6 times greater than what is found on the electric vehicle charger market today. In addition, the heat emitted would be considerably reduced. NASA envisions devices capable of delivering nearly 1,400 amps of electrical current. That’s almost 5 times the 520 amps electric cars currently receive. Note that home chargers generally provide less than 150 amps.
Last year, however, the same researchers specified: Ultimately, charging times will depend on the output power rating of the power supply and charging cable as well as the input power rating of the battery. To achieve a charge of less than five minutes, all three components will need to be rated at 2,500 amps. Thus, a new cable is not enough to change the game. In the meantime, Purdue University is already planning to work with industrialists and car manufacturers in the next two years.
Source : USA Today
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