Photo: SemaConnect
The main problem with electric vehicles remains their battery, which constantly requires recharging, a process that can be time-consuming. But Ford is working on a solution to lower that time and make the process last no longer than a fill-up at the gas station.
Teaming up with researchers from Purdue University in Indiana, Ford is making progress in developing a method to make recharging EVs both time-saving and simple. As the charging time of an electric car varies from 20 minutes at a conventional station to even hours at a dedicated, at-home charging one. This can be a source of anxiety for people who are considering buying an EV and even a deal-breaker for some.
Overheating is the main danger when charging an EV’s battery, which is why you are limited in how quickly you can do it, as charging faster means you’ll need more current to go through the charging cable. And the higher the current, the greater the amount of heat that needs to be removed to keep the cable operating safely, as explained by Michael Degner, senior technical leader at Ford Research and Advanced Engineering.
With an alternative cooling method in mind, researchers are now working on designing a patent-pending charging cable that can deliver an increased current. Compared to existing technologies, the one used in the new cable relies on liquid as an active cooling agent, changing phase from liquid to vapor, thus extracting more heat from the cable.
There is still work to be done, but Purdue plans to start tests for such a prototype charging cable in the next two years, to find out the specific charge speeds for certain models of EVs. If everything goes well, recharging an electric car would eventually last no longer than a gas station fill-up, which would have the potential to make EVs more accessible and appealing.
Overheating is the main danger when charging an EV’s battery, which is why you are limited in how quickly you can do it, as charging faster means you’ll need more current to go through the charging cable. And the higher the current, the greater the amount of heat that needs to be removed to keep the cable operating safely, as explained by Michael Degner, senior technical leader at Ford Research and Advanced Engineering.
With an alternative cooling method in mind, researchers are now working on designing a patent-pending charging cable that can deliver an increased current. Compared to existing technologies, the one used in the new cable relies on liquid as an active cooling agent, changing phase from liquid to vapor, thus extracting more heat from the cable.
There is still work to be done, but Purdue plans to start tests for such a prototype charging cable in the next two years, to find out the specific charge speeds for certain models of EVs. If everything goes well, recharging an electric car would eventually last no longer than a gas station fill-up, which would have the potential to make EVs more accessible and appealing.
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