Much has been made of the roll out of ultra-fast charging (UFC) in different pockets across the globe. Pioneered by Tesla Motors, epitomised by Porsche in 2020 and challenged by mass market electric vehicle (EV) models like the Hyundai Ioniq and Kia EV6 more recently, UFC embodies a quest which seeks to match charge times of EVs to the refuelling of a conventional vehicle.
In May 2022, StoreDot, an Israeli start-up previously profiled by Automotive World, demonstrated a live example of its extreme fast-charging (XFC) batteries, recharging 100 miles in five minutes—referred to as ‘100in5.’ Founded on the mission to ‘reduce range anxiety’, StoreDot has ambitions to reach 100 miles recharge in three minutes by 2028 and 100 miles in two minutes by 2032—100in3 and 100in2, respectively.
But is such a dramatic shift in battery innovation in the next decade realistic? Moreover, is it even necessary?