Israeli battery developer StoreDot has announced the availability of its first-generation, five-minute charge batteries as engineering samples, a move which the company hopes will demonstrate the commercial viability of its small form-factor XFC battery cell. The first batch of sample production cells is aimed at showcasing the fast-charge technology to possible industry partners working within the EV sector.
A breakthrough for the manufacturer was overcoming challenges including battery cycle life, swelling and the overall safety of the unit, which StoreDot says it overcame through the successful replacement of graphite in the cell’s anode with metalloid nanoparticles.
Doron Myersdorf, CEO of StoreDot, said, “StoreDot continues to go from strength to strength as we get one step closer to making our vision of five-minute charging of EVs a commercial reality. Our team of top scientists has overcome inherent challenges of XFC such as safety, cycle life and swelling by harnessing innovative materials and cell design. Today’s announcement marks an important milestone, moving XFC for the first time beyond innovation in the lab to a commercially viable product that is scalable for mass production.”
Produced by the company’s partner, EVE Energy, in China, the XFC batteries have been designed for production on existing li-ion production lines to save significant expenditure on special manufacturing equipment. Samples are said to be compliant with UN 38.3, ensuring safety during shipping.
“We founded StoreDot to achieve what many said could never be done – develop batteries capable of delivering a full charge in just five minutes. We have shown that this level of XFC charging is possible – first in 2019 with an electric scooter and again six months ago with a commercial drone. We are proud to make these samples available, but today’s milestone is just the beginning. We’re on the cusp of achieving a revolution in the EV charging experience that will remove the critical barrier to mass adoption of EVs,” concluded Myersdorf.