OXFORD, England & CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ZapGo Ltd (Zap&Go), developer of Carbon-Ion cells, a fast-charging and safe alternative to lithium batteries, has demonstrated it can perform a full charge of a device in a matter of seconds.
A video of the demonstration filmed at the company’s Oxford laboratories can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XUpftExLCY&feature=youtu.be.
To achieve almost instant charging, the company’s Carbon-Ion cells are built into both a power pack and a cordless device (such as a power drill) so that the energy transfer occurs directly from one to the other. With this technology, the charge rate is not dependent on how much energy the batteries can take in, or on the output of the electrical grid, as it is with conventional lithium-ion batteries.
The implications of this demonstration are far-reaching. Electric vehicles (EVs) are in the spotlight as governments urge their adoption to combat urban pollution. More than one million vehicles are expected to be sold this year and some automakers are committing to making 25 percent or more of their output battery-powered within the next decade.
Stephen Voller, Zap&Go’s CEO, said, “Charging an EV can take hours. What’s more, if a street is full of charging posts and an EV is plugged into every one of them, can current electrical grids handle the additional load? If new technology is not adapted, we may find that the lights in the nearby houses go out or see scuffles between drivers for an available charge point.”
Mr. Voller continued, “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.”
In the research report “The EV Bandwagon Is Accelerating, But Is It Unstoppable?” published on July 31, Albert Cheung, Head of Global Analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, stated EVs may well cause headaches for transmission and distribution grid operators, who will need to make sure network constraints are managed and system operations are adjusted to meet the needs of these new loads.
About Zap&Go
Zap&Go is a high-technology company based at the Harwell Research Campus, Oxford, UK with its US subsidiary in Charlotte, NC. A combination of novel nano-carbon materials and high-performance ionic electrolytes produces an ultra-fast and safe source of energy storage. Its Carbon-Ion cells can charge in less than five minutes and deliver very high levels of power to a variety of electronic applications. For more information, visit www.zapgo.com.