6 Minutes to Recharge? Cambridge University Startup Claims Lithium Battery Breakthrough

Echion Technologies, a start-up founded at Cambridge University in the UK, claims it has created a material that can allow lithium batteries to recharge gadgets, such as cellphones and electric cars, in six-minutes. While the claim that a fast-charging battery technology has been developed has been heard before, Echion’s claim is notable on the basis that the technology can purportedly be commercialized as soon as next year.

According to Echion, the material that improves recharge capacity is a new kind of powder that replaces the graphite inside lithium battery cells. This powder is said to accept fast-charging with no safety hazards. Echion further claims that the new material can easily be incorporated into existing batteries, as it simply “drops into” existing battery manufacturing infrastructure with no capital cost. This eliminates the need for Echion to convince battery makers to use novel materials in their production lines, creating a low barrier to market entry.

Today, the company can produce enough of this material per day for a single-car battery. However, Echion claims that with the help of secured investments from firms such as Cambridge Enterprise, the novel material will be scaleable and made easily in factories by early 2021.

With the help of secured investments and the development of a validated prototype, Echion’s announcement is encouraging. However, there’s not much information about the actual material it has created. Ultimately, only time will be able to tell if a commercial product will ever be produced.

Author: Nargis Fazli