Polestar and StoreDot charge a Polestar 5 in 10 minutes

29 April 2024

Electric vehicles may be gaining traction, but range anxieties persist. Not for long, if Polestar and StoreDot have their way. The carmaker and battery tech company successfully demonstrated a breakthrough that could reframe our concept of EV charging.  A specially adapted Polestar 5 prototype zipped from a 10% to an 80% charge in a mere 10 minutes.

This stunning achievement marks the first time StoreDot's Extreme Fast Charging, or XFC, battery cells have been tested in a fully drivable car. Traditionally, such tests happen in controlled lab settings, making this a significant step toward real-world adoption of lightning-fast EV charging.

Imagine this for a moment: You're on a road trip in your Polestar 5. Instead of those typical half-hour charging breaks, you pull over for 10 minutes and add 200 miles of range.

"We need to address one of the biggest barriers to EV ownership—charging anxiety," says Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath. He insists that this technology could make EVs as convenient on long hauls as their gasoline-powered counterparts.

StoreDot's silicon-dominant XFC battery cells offer similar energy density to existing batteries but don't need fancy cooling systems, saving weight and making EVs even more efficient. Polestar's 10-minute charge test saw speeds start at 310 kW and peak above 370 kW, proving XFC cells can maintain a high, consistent rate throughout the charging process.

Crucially, this works with existing high-power DC fast chargers, so no costly infrastructure overhaul is needed –  and a major boost to consumer convenience.

StoreDot's roadmap aims for 100 miles of range added in 5 minutes by 2024, down to 3 minutes by 2028. It's no wonder major players like Volvo, Daimler, and Samsung are backing the company.

The Polestar/StoreDot breakthrough is about more than making your next EV purchase tempting.  Faster charging could unlock the mass adoption of electric vehicles, which many consider vital in tackling the climate crisis.

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