Electric vehicles have come a long way and they now come in all shapes and sizes. You can get an electric hatchback, truck, SUV, saloon, etc. The charging infrastructure has been well developed so long journeys have become much easier, too.
It's far too common to get 400 miles+ of range on a single charge these days. With battery capacity only improving, the number continues to go up, but it's not the capacity that's most irritating about EVs. It's the charging time.
Samsung's new battery can boost EV adoption
Even though fast industrial chargers can fill up the battery in an EV, they're few and far between, and still typically require half an hour or so to provide a full charge. Compare that to the few minutes needed to fill up a car with petrol and you can understand why this remains a barrier to more widespread adoption of EVs.
Samsung SDI, the conglomerate's battery division, has developed a solution for this. It has created a new solid-state battery that can provide up to 600 miles of range. What's more impressive is that the battery can be recharged in only nine minutes, fixing one of the biggest issues that prevents more people from buying electric cars.
The company has been testing these battery cells for over six months now with several car manufacturers, and while Samsung hasn't named them, it's believed to be working with the likes of Hyundai and General Motors. Samsung SDI also says that the new solid-state battery has a lifespan of up to 20 years, thereby extending the usable life of EVs by a considerable margin.
Samsung says that the first electric vehicles with its new solid-state batteries will be available by 2027. It's important to mention here that these batteries are expensive, which is why as per the company, they will initially be used in “super premium EVs” only.
