New technology from space makes it possible
Charging the e-car takes time. If you are used to a combustion engine, half an hour or more at the charging station can be quite long. A solution must be found for the problem if electric cars are to be permanently more attractive. NASA thinks so too – and immediately presents its own approach to space technology.
If you have to make a charging stop with your e-car on the way, you should have plenty of time. Even the fastest chargers among electric cars advertise up to 18 minutes to charge the battery from 10 to 80 percent – under ideal conditions and at fast charging stations, of course. The almost five minutes that drivers usually spend at the gas station, including payment, is what some people wish they could have back as quickly as possible.
NASA technology charges electric cars in record time
The US space agency NASA is also of the opinion that if e-cars are to replace combustion engines across the world, this flaw must be removed. A NASA research team is said to have succeeded in doing this, albeit more incidentally. Because the invention, called the “Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE)” – which roughly translates to flow boiling and condensation experiment – is actually intended for use in space.
Put simply, this is a particularly effective way of cooling (electrical) systems using a cooling liquid that also uses condensation. A team from Purdue University is developing the cooling so that temperature-sensitive systems can be precisely controlled even in space. But the application can also be applied to charging cables for e-cars.
In the first tests, a significantly more effective cooling was achieved than with conventional methods, according to NASA. This gives you the charging power 4.6 times the current strength achieved as with charging stationsthat are currently on the market. The maximum is currently around 520 amps. According to the NASA team, it has managed to apply up to 2,400 amps. With such a load without appropriate cooling, a cable fire would still be the most minor outcome.
E-cars don’t win the time comparison between petrol pump and charging station, but what about the costs?
Fully charged in less than five minutes: NASA makes a strong announcement
According to NASA calculations, 1,400 amperes are enough to fully charge a modern electric car in less than five minutes. For the tests, the researchers used cooled charging cables with their technology, so the technical feasibility is given. Whether or when a market-ready version of NASA’s cooling system for e-cars will make it to earth remains to be seen.
