[Read: How much does it cost to buy, own, and run an EV? It\u2019s not as much as you think<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n The report told the story of Israel-based StoreDot, a battery tech company that has managed to produce the EV power packs on a scalable production line, suggesting we\u2019re not far from mass market \u201cfive-minute batteries.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not releasing a lab prototype, we are releasing engineering samples from a mass production line. This demonstrates it is feasible, and it\u2019s commercially ready,\u201d Doron Myersdorf, CEO of StoreDot, told The Guardian.<\/p>\n In collaboration with a Chinese battery manufacturer, StoreDot has reportedly produced more than 1,000 of its hyper-fast-charging batteries, and has investment from the likes of Daimler, BP, and Samsung.<\/p>\n Things are looking promising, but as with any bleeding edge technology, the batteries won\u2019t come cheap.<\/p>\n Speaking to The Guardian, Prof Chao-Yang Wang, from the Battery and Energy Storage Technology Center at Pennsylvania State University in the US, says the batteries won\u2019t necessarily make EVs more expensive.<\/p>\n The theory is that automakers will be able to downsize their batteries thereby cutting costs. Range won\u2019t matter when they can be recharged in just minutes, that\u2019s assuming infrastructure is robust and plentiful \u2014 which it isn\u2019t, but we\u2019ll get to that.<\/p>\n On the other hand, battery expert Mark Ellis from Munro & Associates, tells me that the costs of such batteries are a big unknown. \u201cNo one has considered how much the initial cost of the EV would have to increase to accommodate the fast-charge,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n While manufacturers might<\/em> be able to alter the size of their batteries to keep EVs affordable, it\u2019s not clear how much they will have to be downsized.<\/p>\n One thing is for certain though, the chargers to power the batteries will<\/em> come at a substantial cost.<\/p>\n \u201cConsider how much energy you would need to pump into a battery pack for a 5-minute charge? It is a lot,<\/em>\u201d Ellis tells me.<\/p>\n Indeed, the more powerful the charger, the more expensive it costs to develop and install. According to a 2015 report<\/a> from the US Department of Energy, standard Level 2 chargers cost between $600 and $12,700 to install. Whereas direct current fast chargers can cost between $4,000 and $51,000 to install.<\/p>\n Specialist chargers for hyper-fast five-minute charging will stand to be even more expensive.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, chargers for this type of battery are still a thing of the future. So let\u2019s step back for a second and consider StoreDot\u2019s expectations for its battery\u2019s capabilities when using contemporary charging infrastructure.<\/p>\n Using modern chargers, the company is aiming to offer batteries capable of adding 100 miles of range within five minutes, by 2025.<\/p>\n This is good, of course, but is far more telling of the state of charging today.<\/p>\n StoreDot\u2019s ambitions are only fractionally better than the fast-charging EVs we have today. Adding 100 miles in five minutes appears to be the trajectory we were on anyway.<\/p>\n If we look to Tesla, we see a company that is leading the charge<\/a> \u2014 not sorry<\/em> \u2014 when it comes to EV fast-charging.<\/p>\n According to the Silver T, its V3 Superchargers, which were unveiled in 2019, are capable of adding 75 miles of range in five minutes, in perfect conditions.<\/p>\n German automaker Porsche says that<\/a> its Taycan can fill its battery from 5% charge to 88% charge in just 22 minutes. Making it one of the fastest charging EVs on the planet \u2014 but only in perfect conditions using the right charger, which are few and far between right now.<\/p>\n So it\u2019s all well and good having a fast-charging EV, but the correct chargers are hard to come by. Although, that is changing.<\/p>\n Infrastructure is improving, but it\u2019s not going to get to where it needs to be overnight.<\/p>\n Just this month, the UK installed its 4,000th rapid EV charger<\/a>. A good milestone, but 4,000 isn\u2019t anywhere near enough.<\/p>\n According to UK think tank Policy Exchange, the country needs to install EV chargers five times faster than it is now if it\u2019s going to service demand by 2030, and that\u2019s just regular chargers, not the super high-powered ones required for fast-charging.<\/p>\n The Netherlands has Europe\u2019s fastest-growing EV charging network<\/a>, and it\u2019s still a long way off servicing an entire nation of EVs. According to Wallbox<\/a>, there are 52,000 chargers in the low country, most of which aren\u2019t rapid-chargers.<\/p>\n Ultimately, the onus to install the required tech is likely going to fall on third-party charging providers. Those companies will install what\u2019s in demand, not bleeding edge fringe technology that costs nearly five times as much and is only useful to a minority of people.<\/p>\n Speaking to The Guardian, Prof Chao-Yang Wang, expects such fast-charging batteries to be available within three years.<\/p>\n However, when we consider the entire eco-system of car, battery, and compatible chargers, three years seems\u2026 ambitious.<\/p>\n When I spoke to Ellis, it\u2019s clear that he has a far more tempered expectation of when these types of hyper fast-charging batteries will hit the mainstream.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not like it\u2019ll never happen though. But right now, he says there\u2019s no accurate way of saying exactly how long it\u2019s going to be until we see electric vehicles that can fully charge in just five minutes.<\/p>\n The reality is that there are many variables that need to come together before EVs that charge in five minutes are common place.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not impossible, though. Ellis says battery technology is developing fast and hurdles are falling just as quick. But at this point, we can\u2019t put a timeline on when we\u2019ll see this kind of tech in the mass market. It\u2019s too hard to say accurately when this tech will become common place, because there\u2019s just too much that needs to happen for the technology to work in the real world.<\/p>\n It\u2019s all well and good having a battery that can charge in five minutes, but without robust, plentiful, and affordable charging, that technology is virtually useless to the majority.<\/p>\n If you ask me \u2014 and I hate to say it \u2014 EVs that charge in five minutes seem like a far off reality.<\/span><\/p>\n A simple and more impactful strategy would to simply build more chargers, so when people arrive at their destination they can plug-in, charge, and depart with a full battery. Five-minute batteries are a technological innovation sure, but they\u2019re borne as a safety net.<\/p>\n I mean, If every car parking space had an EV charger, would we even need batteries that can charge in five minutes?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a>SHIFT<\/a> is brought to you by Polestar. It\u2019s time to accelerate the shift to sustainable mobility. That is why Polestar combines electric driving with cutting-edge design and thrilling performance.<\/i> Find out how<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Published February 23, 2021 \u2014 14:37 UTC <\/p>\n![\"storedot,](\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/02\/Screenshot-2021-02-23-at-11.47.15.png\")
At what cost?<\/h2>\n
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Get expectations in line<\/h2>\n
![\"Car,](\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/02\/1599px-Tesla_Supercharger_in_Flachau_O\u0308sterreich_05.jpg\")
Not enough chargers<\/h2>\n
Ok, so when?<\/h2>\n
\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/07\/Polestar_wordmark_pos.png\")
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