Radical new magnetic field technology, pioneered in the UK, can charge an EV in just 10 minutes
The “signature” of the MagLiB magnetic field eases the progress of ions during charging, said Heenan. “The ions are moving from the cathode to the anode during charging. But instead of travelling in a straight line without anything in the way, they have to meander around particles and other materials.
“We look at each hurdle the ions have to overcome and reduce the impact of them using bespoke magnetic fields.” Normally, the high current needed to rapidly charge must be allowed to drop off to avoid damaging the battery. By reducing resistance in the battery, a higher current can be maintained, dramatically reducing charging times.
As well as reducing charging times for customers, it is expected that MagLiB will cut the cost of batteries. During manufacture, cells must go through a time-consuming and therefore costly charge and discharge process, which takes more than 250 hours and represents an estimated 30% of the manufacturing costs. It is estimated that a 35GWh gigafactory could save £10 million per year by reducing that time by just 1%.
In a ‘eureka’ moment that occurred when studying the behaviour of ions in fuel cells, Heenan conceived the initial idea at about the same time that he began his PhD in chemical engineering at UCL in 2014. He joined forces with fellow graduate, battery specialist and Gaussion chief operating officer Chun Tan, and the pair were supported by UCL professors Paul Shearing and Dan Brett. All four are formally listed as the inventors of the technology on the pending patent.
The project began with the support of a £100,000 Faraday Institution Entrepreneurial Fellowship, which allowed the inventors to scale the technology from cells for smartwatches and finally BEVs.
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