January 21, 2021

Auto News

Israeli firm develops 5-minute-charge battery

Israeli company StoreDot announced that in a landmark achievement in the electric vehicle industry, it had managed to develop the world's first car battery that can be fully charged in just five minutes.

However, the invention will take time to become commercially feasible since the ultra-fast charge would require much higher-power chargers than are currently available.

Electric cars, which are a major part of global attempts to tackle the climate crisis, have faced the challenge of batteries taking hours to fully charge, giving rise to "range anxiety" - the fear of a battery running out mid-journey and the driver getting stranded at a charging station.

But now, provided that charging stations undergo a major upgrade, which could take years, charging an electric car could become as quick as stopping to refuel a gas-run vehicle.

Some 1,000 of the batteries developed by StoreDot have already been manufactured in China by German firm Eve Systems, and are meant for showcasing the technology to carmakers and other companies.

"We are proud to make these samples available, but today's milestone is just the beginning," StoreDot CEO Doron Myersdorf said in a statement. "We're on the cusp of achieving a revolution in the electric vehicle charging experience that will remove the critical barrier to mass adoption of electric vehicles."

"The bottleneck to extra-fast charging is no longer the battery," he said, adding that StoreDot is working with BP on upgrading charging stations and grids that supply them.

Founded in 2012, Herzliya-based StoreDot has developed lithium ion-based battery technology, using nanomaterials and organic and inorganic compounds, which enables ultra-fast charging for various markets.

Car Care Tip

Replacing wiper blades is one of the easiest car maintenance tasks you can tackle. You'll need new wiper blades after about a year of use. Sometimes you can stretch it, but you shouldn't deal with the danger of streaking just to put off an inconvenient trip to the auto shop.

Wiper blade setup differs quite a bit from car to car, so you may have to follow a few different steps according to your owner's manual. Basically, the process is similar to changing your air filter:

1. Lift the blades, as if you were washing your windshield by hand, and remove the old blades.
2. Pay attention to how the old blades connect to the metal arms.
3. On most models, you'll see a tab on the underside of the wiper. Push the tab to remove the old blade.
4. Attach the new blades, being careful not to bend the wiper arms or scratch your windshield. Line everything up and make sure the new ones are secure and tight.

If you get distracted or just can't remember exactly how the new blades should fit on the wiper arm, don't worry. The packaging for the new blades should have a general set of instructions and a helpful diagram.

Tools You Need: None
Time to Complete: 15 minutes
Estimated Cost: $10 to $20

Geared Up Gadgets

The 12V Quad Car Charger plugs directly into your car's DC power socket allowing you to charge up to four devices at once.

You get three powered USB ports with a total output of 4.8A. Two of the ports give you 1A each (perfect for smartphones), while the green superport gives you 2.8A. That's enough power for even the biggest tablets or iPads. And even though the Quad Charger plugs into your vehicle's DC power socket, you don't actually lose it. The Quad Charger has a fully functional 12V 3A DC outlet built right in. That means you can still plug in all of your favorite car accessories like radar detectors and dash cameras.

A special rotating plug pivots a full 90 degrees. No matter what kind of vehicle you have the plug will allow you to position the Quad Charger in the perfect position. This not only helps keep cords out of the way but also saves you space.

Click here to see how it works or to order yours


Thanks for reading,

The Editor

P.S. Did you miss an issue? You can read every issue from the Gophercentral library of newsletters on our exhaustive archives page. Thousands of issues, all of your favorite publications in chronological order. You can read AND comment. Just click GopherArchives