Ford and Purdue University Created a Cable That Fully Charges an EV in 5 Minutes

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Ford may have just figured out a way to get rid of range anxiety once and for all.

The Detroit auto giant has teamed up with Purdue University to build a prototype of a cable that could fully charge an EV’s battery in just five minutes. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done, but the cable could help overcome one of the last major obstacles standing in the way of battery-powered cars achieving mass acceptance.

EV driving ranges may finally be reaching acceptable levels, but slow charging times still make some drivers wary. The last couple years has seen charging times improve dramatically, but they’re still not great, especially when compared to the five minutes it takes to fill up a gas-powered car. Right now, the best you can hope for is around 20 minutes when connected to a DC fast charger. It’s even worse when you’re home. The Ford Mustang Mach-E is one of the more in-demand EVs on the market, but it takes 11 hours to charge to full capacity at home, even when connected to a Level 2 charging setup.

This is due in no small part to the fact that current charging cables just can’t handle the heat generated by the amount of power that would be needed to charge an EV as fast as gas can fill up a car. The cables connected to the Tesla Supercharger—currently the industry’s best charger—can handle a maximum of 520 amps of current. Ford and Purdue’s solution: Come up with a better method of cooling charging cables.

-more-

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/ford-and-purdue-university-created-a-cable-that-fully-charges-an-ev-in-5-minutes/ar-AAQDXMO

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. 520 amps x 120 V 60,000 watts; massive heat. What about the house wiring? Power line to house?

Strip heaters on the wall at floors are about 2,000 watts.

Hottest stove element is about 2,000 watts. All elements on plus oven plus water heater and dryer plus 5 floorboard heaters all on full bore would be about 20,000 watts. TV, fridge, computer a pittance by comparison.

So, how would house wiring handle wattages significantly beyond 60 kilowatts? (Maybe 0.71 x 60 KW accounting for sine waves?)

Perhaps special wiring from the power line into the house would be required?

[OnlinePoker]

3. I would suspect these would be used at centralized charging stations (gas stations)

I don't think I've ever heard of a Tesla level 3 charger being used at a private residence so I wouldn't think this Ford/Purdue charger would be any different.

[IronLionZion]

4. Tesla built supercharger stations all around North America

so if it's standardized, one could just go to any of those stations as if it were a gas station.

One of my neighbors has a Tesla Model S and we were all like how can you charge it at home? Nope, he goes to a station like anyone else.

[Bristlecone]

10. You can get a home charging station for any Tesla model, including the Model S

It’s about 1400-2000) installed.

[IronLionZion]

11. It's good to have the choice

the charging stations are great for urban apartment living and folks who drive cross country on road trips.

[Bristlecone]

16. Without a doubt. I see more stations popping up everyday.

[zipplewrath]

7. Commercial installation

This is obviously a technology intended for a commercial installation, for all the reasons you suggest. And I suspect that it will be handled by an "attendant" who is trained in the proper use and monitoring of the technology. This is alot of energy moving into the vehicle. The truth is that the car itself will need to be able to handle these kinds of current flows, not to mention actively monitor itself real time to ensure nothing is going wrong.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

15. Cool, I think you are right. Thanks to you & others. So in future charge at home & "station". . nt

[getagrip_already]

8. article says 2400 amps.... that's substation current

Most homes have 100 amp service from the pole. Most business are less than 400 amps.

2400 amps is ludicrous speed when it comes to current. It could only be delivered at a commercial facility.

They cool the cable, which is how it can carry those currents and not be 4 inches in diameter.

Interesting, but not immediately practical.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

14. Okay, thanks you and the other posters. Makes sense there would be home and "station" charging

Cars of course would have to come equipped to handle both. So a few years distant, but at some point we'll all be saying "this is so easy, why haven't we been doing it for decades?" I hope for that day soon.

[getagrip_already]

17. most people don't need 5 minute charges at home though...

6-8 hours would be fine since most people need to sleep anyway.

My bil has a tesla. He had a 240 v service put in his garage so he could charge more quickly. It still takes 8-12 hours for a full charge, but he usually doesn't drain his battery that far anyway.

So fast charging is more of an on the go type of need. He says he can get a pretty full charge in 20-30 minutes on a trip at a tesla fast charge station, and he just gets something to eat while he waits. So even that isn't too bad.

I won't own a tesla for the same reason I won't own an apple product. But I do like the tech and will probably own an ev at some point.

[Shermann]

2. "The automaker didn't go into too much detail about how this process works"

I'll wait for the article with the detail.

[IronLionZion]

5. Yup and risks of electrocution if there is user error or whatever

if a wild animal chews the cable.

[getagrip_already]

18. they did say they vaporize a liquid.....

evaporative liquid cooling by the sound of it.

I'm sure they capture the gas and reliquary it. Same way a refrigerator works.

I wouldn't worry about electrocution as much as fire or coolant leaks.

[Shermann]

19. So much for those room temperature superconducting cables we were promised

Thanks for nothing, physicists.

[hunter]

6. Sure the cable works...

... but you'd need batteries that can do that, along with upgraded cooling capacity for the battery packs and internal charge controllers.

And even so, it's probably a bad idea anyways in terms of battery life.

"Range Anxiety" really wont be an issue when charging is available everywhere. Unlike gasoline stations, charging stations can be installed anywhere there is adequate electric service. Parking spaces are much more common than gasoline stations.

Sure, many people have done those Radar Love dashes from Berkeley to Albuquerque (or something similar) but that's not a sensible way to drive. It's always a good idea to take a break after a few hours of driving. Walk around a bit, use the restroom, have a bite to eat...

In any case, most people don't regularly drive long distances. In those cases, when they do need to driver longer distances, they might rent fuel powered cars.

[Finishline42]

9. Nice link to Radar Love

Last edited Sat Nov 13, 2021, 04:48 PM - Edit history (1)

Plus renting something for a long trip was a practical way to avoid putting a lot of miles on your personal car. $39 a day, unlimited mileage in the old days - not anymore...

I'm an uber driver and since March I have given rides to a lot of people that had reservations but nothing was available when they flew in.

[calimary]

13. Yep!

“Radar Love”! “Radar Loved it!”

[mbusby]

12. Our Toyota Prius Prime....

...will fully charge in two hours using 240 volts at up to 40 amps.