Polestar has announced that prototype cells fitted to its upcoming Polestar 5 flagship EV can already charge 10-80% in just 10 minutes.
Polestar said last year that it would include the technology in prototypes Polestar 5 reaches 100 miles in 5 minutes—this project—in 2024, and it appears to have exceeded its original target. In the drivable Polestar 5, equipped with a “specially authorized” 77 kwh battery pack, it demonstrated that charging speed.
For this project, Polestar inserted StoreDot “100 in 5” XFC cells into the Polestar 5 prototype via a prototype Polestar battery module. It claims to have charged the resulting pack at an initial charge of 310 kw and a peak charge of 370 kw.
Polestar 5 prototype
These cells are not the all-solid-state cells that Toyota, Nissan, Honda and others are aiming for later this decade. But these “silicon-dominant” cells, are distributed in first test sample for automakers in 2021, is a further evolution of the lithium-ion battery technology popular in electric vehicles. StoreDot says it has transformed them “by innovating and synthesizing proprietary organic and inorganic compounds, optimized with Artificial Intelligence algorithms.”
Polestar emphasized that while the energy density is on par with current nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion batteries, they do not require a “dedicated cooling system.” The companies have previously said that this aspect could shave hundreds of pounds off the weight of complete electric cars, but it’s unclear whether that means the Polestar 5 test will take place without the system. liquid cooled or not.
Polestar 5 prototype
That said, it’s unlikely this technology will be installed in the production model anytime soon, and the production Polestar 5 will have a different battery pack. With this Polestar 5 test, the brand now needs to see if such a cell is durable and reliable when it comes to meeting the thermal demands of large electric vehicle battery packs. In 2022, the companies said StoreDot is looking mass production of EV-sized batteries of that technology by 2024.
BP is an investor in StoreDot and Polestar also holds shares; One “strategic cooperation” with Volvo will also lead to real-world testing with that relevant brand.
