Morand’s eTechnology hybrid battery promises city charging in 72 seconds

The ultracap hybrid battery promises a city recharge in 72 seconds

An electric car that can be recharged in as little time as it takes to pump out a gas-powered vehicle has long been the dream of current and would-be EV drivers. What if it could load even faster? According to the American Petroleum Institute, the average refueling of a gas-powered vehicle takes two minutes, although there are other estimates that exceed it. A new electrical energy storage technology developed by Swiss technology company Morand could deliver charging times for urban electric cars in just over half of those two minutes.

Halfway between traditional batteries and ultracapacitors, Morand’s eTechnology units offer potentially revolutionary charging speeds, as well as the potential for much longer life than lithium-ion batteries.

Morand is named after former F1 driver and team principal Benoît Morand, who helped develop Hope Racing’s Oreco 01 Hybrid, the first hybrid prototype to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans there. is over ten years old. Along with a small team of other ex-F1 engineers and managers, Morand set out to apply hybrid and electric technologies from the upper echelons of motorsport to more practical everyday solutions..

Morand has worked hard to develop what he calls eTechnology, which he describes as a energy storage solution that combines the characteristics of an ultracapacitor with those of a chemical battery.

As part of its test and evaluation program, the company claims that a 7.2 kWh eTechnology prototype was able to recharge to 80% in just 72 seconds, 98% in 120 seconds and 100% in 2.5 minutes with power up to 900A/360kW. It says independent testing was done by Geo Technology.

Morand claims a 7.2kWh pack from eTechnology has been tested to charge 80% in just over a minute.

The 7.2 kWh is a far cry from the 100+ kWh batteries found in some of the longer-range electric vehicles on the market. Morand focused on low-capacity applications such as drones and e-bikes, explaining that eTechnology is best suited for applications that require fast, semi-frequent charges of five minutes or less. An example of a car with a 7.2 kWh battery would be a small city car like the Citroën Ami and its 5.5 kWh battery pack.

As for electric bicycles, Morand estimates that a bicycle with a 6 Ah battery could be recharged in 6 minutes at a rate of less than 3.2 kW. It would be a breakthrough for e-bikes, which typically take hours to charge. With a charge time of around six minutes, a rider can plug in and regain all or most of the bike’s range in a short break. This could make e-bikes a more viable option to replace cars for long distance commuting and errands.

Other benefits Morand cited for eTechnology include efficient operation in extreme temperatures and the potential for a much higher number of charge/discharge cycles. It claims to have safely tested the units to over 50,000 cycles, dozens of times more than traditional batteries.

Morand says he is working with a manufacturing partner on low-volume production and plans to scale up production to make eTechnology more competitive with lithium-ion batteries. It is also looking for investors to provide capital to increase production.

More information: www.morandetech.com

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