Charging electric vehicles 5x faster in subfreezing temps

A stabilizing coating on an electrode, combined with microscale channels, helps solve the trade-off between range and charging speed, even in cold temperatures Engineering student Chloe Acosta plugs in an EV for charging in snowy weather on the University of Michigan’s North Campus. EV charging becomes less efficient in colder weather, but a new strategy for manufacturing battery electrodes could enable charging in 10 minutes in temperatures as cold as -10C. Image credit: Marcin Szczepanski, Michigan Engineering A modified manufacturing process for electric vehicle batteries, developed by University of Michigan engineers, could enable high ranges and fast charging in cold weather, solving problems that are turning potential EV buyers away. “We envision this approach as something that EV battery manufacturers could adopt without major changes to existing factories,” said Neil Dasgupta, U-M associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering, and corres ... Read full article.