Zap&Go Demonstrates ‘Instant Charging’ Technology to Fully Charge a Device in Less Than 15 Seconds
Points the Way to High-Speed Electric Vehicle Charging
OXFORD, England & CHARLOTTE, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ZapGo Ltd (Zap&Go), developer of Carbon-Ion cells, a fast-charging and
safe alternative to lithium batteries, has demonstrated it can perform a
full charge of a device in a matter of seconds.
A video of the demonstration filmed at the company’s Oxford laboratories
can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XUpftExLCY&feature=youtu.be.
To achieve almost instant charging, the company’s Carbon-Ion cells are
built into both a power pack and a cordless device (such as a power
drill) so that the energy transfer occurs directly from one to the
other. With this technology, the charge rate is not dependent on how
much energy the batteries can take in, or on the output of the
electrical grid, as it is with conventional lithium-ion batteries.
The implications of this demonstration are far-reaching. Electric
vehicles (EVs) are in the spotlight as governments urge their adoption
to combat urban pollution. More than one million vehicles are expected
to be sold this year and some automakers are committing to making 25
percent or more of their output battery-powered within the next decade.
Stephen Voller, Zap&Go’s CEO, said, “Charging an EV can take hours.
What’s more, if a street is full of charging posts and an EV is plugged
into every one of them, can current electrical grids handle the
additional load? If new technology is not adapted, we may find that the
lights in the nearby houses go out or see scuffles between drivers for
an available charge point.”
Mr. Voller continued, “We have successfully demonstrated how to reduce
recharge times from hours to five minutes with our Carbon-Ion cells and
‘instant charging’ represents the next stage of the development of our
technology. Since we have the technology to charge a cordless drill in
15 seconds, we expect to be able similarly improve EV charging rates,
thereby solving one of the main obstacles to making EVs the new
standard.”
In the research report “The EV Bandwagon Is Accelerating, But Is It
Unstoppable?” published on July 31, Albert Cheung, Head of Global
Analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, stated EVs may well cause
headaches for transmission and distribution grid operators, who will
need to make sure network constraints are managed and system operations
are adjusted to meet the needs of these new loads.
About Zap&Go
Zap&Go is a high-technology company based at the Harwell Research
Campus, Oxford, UK with its US subsidiary in Charlotte, NC. A
combination of novel nano-carbon materials and high-performance ionic
electrolytes produces an ultra-fast and safe source of energy storage.
Its Carbon-Ion cells can charge in less than five minutes and deliver
very high levels of power to a variety of electronic applications. For
more information, visit www.zapgo.com.
Contacts
ZapGo
Greg Osborn, 201-410-6699
[email protected]
or
Media:
DGI
Comm
Susan Forman, 212-825-3210
[email protected]