Ford supplier demos EV battery that charges in 18 minutes with 1000-cycle longevity

Ford will undoubtedly be delighted to hear that one of its main EV battery production partners has developed a battery pack that can be charged in 18 minutes flat. SK On managed to earn a CES 2023 Innovation Award for its novel Super Fast Battery cell with decreased anode resistance that allows faster lithium ion insertion while charging. Not only do the novel anode material and its custom coating bring the battery to 80% charge in under 20 minutes, but multiple safety and performance tests prove that it also offers longevity on par with normal charging rates in the process.

Previously, fast charging shortened the number of battery cycles before performance degradation from 1,000 to 300 charge/discharge sessions, whereas the new anode material and coating survived the 18 minute charging time more than a thousand times, giving SK On's Super Fast Battery the same longevity as with regular charging rates.

SK On said it has been developing the battery since 2018 when a " global automaker" tasked it with creating such a cell which was subsequently put in a 2021 World Car of the Year award-winning vehicle. Since that title went to Volkswagen's ID4 and SK On has an EV battery joint venture with the German automaker as well, that may explain why the ID4s with LG battery charge slower than those with SK-made cells.

Chinese battery makers like CATL have already developed ultrafast battery charging technology that does the 5%-80% dance in 10 minutes, so that's the next challenge for SK On's Super Fast Battery task force. Hopefully, Ford's BlueOval SK joint venture will be able to benefit from the technology for the next F-150 Lightning or Mustang Mach-E iterations.

After all, Ford's partnership with SK Innovation's battery subsidiary is the biggest single investment - US$11 billion for the Tennessee and Kentucky factories and equipment alone - in US-made batteries for electric vehicles that will comply with the federal new EV subsidy requirements.

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