One of the biggest challenges for prospective electric car owners is the issue of charging your car. It can take several hours and it poses a real inconvenience when compared to just taking the car to the gas station and filling it up. Researchers at Purdue university think they may have solved the problem with a new battery that they’ve designed to “instantly” recharge in the same time it takes to fill a traditional car up with a tank of gas.
the new technological advance is a side effect of modifications that the researchers made to existing flow battery systems. They removed the membranes. This eliminates one of the main portions of the battery that breaks down over time, making the batteries more durable and cost effective. It also means that you could literally pull one up to a gas station and recharge your battery by topping it off with an electrolyte solution. When the fluid is spent, you go back to the station and swap it out for new fluid. Meanwhile, the old fluid is shipped to a wind or solar farm, where it can be recharged for another go around.
the scientists behind the new tech are currently looking for financing to develop large-scale prototypes before taking the next step and seeking out manufacturing partners.