Fast charging and extended range are in store for electric vehicles (EVs) with new lithium-silicon battery cells developed by Ionblox.

The inclusion of high capacity, prelithiated silicon monoxide anodes in the large format pouch cells supports extreme fast charging. The design achieves 60% of the battery’s capacity in just 5 minutes and 80% in 10 minutes. The high-energy cells enable EV manufacturers to extend the range of an EV by 30% to 50% using a similarly sized Ionblox battery pack or to reduce weight and cost with a smaller battery pack.

Testing of large-format 32 Ah capacity pouch cells also demonstrates that the lithium-silicon batteries maintain their performance over the vehicle lifetime. These devices can endure greater than 1,000 extreme fast charge cycles with minimal degradation.

The company recently earned UN 38.3 certification for its cells. This certification is an essential marker of the quality and safety of lithium and lithium-ion battery products, requiring tests that include overcharge, short circuit, heat, vibration, impact and altitude simulations.

California-based Ionblox is also applying its extreme fast charging cell technology to enable electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft to fly numerous times per day, increasing the duration of time spent in flight.