Quick charging of electric vehicles

By Don Smolenski, Contributing Editor | TLT Machinery October 2025

Manufacturers are developing solutions to the long charging times associated with electric vehicle batteries.
There has been a considerable increase in the purchase of electric vehicles (EVs), including electric and plug-in hybrids. Nearly 20% of the new vehicles sold in 2023 were EVs, and it continues to increase.1 One of the factors inhibiting further market penetration of EVs is charging time. While gasoline and diesel vehicles can refuel in five to 10 minutes, EVs take significantly longer. When I take a long trip, for instance, I look for where the next high-speed charger is. There is much work by the larger charging station and other manufacturers to improve batteries.2,3 One company has evaluated some mixed silicon-graphite anodes in which the ions move more than four times as fast as with graphite. A start up company is evaluating a vanadium oxide battery, and has received a grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). Their batteries are claimed to charge fully in 10 minutes, but this battery is relatively heavy.

So, it’s worth some discussion on what changes to the batteries would produce shorter charging times, without compromising environmental impact, safety, lifespan and range. Cathodes are often composed of layered oxides of nickel, and polyanion cobalt and magnesium oxides. None of these are particularly new technology. Dissolving lithium in the electrolyte and pushing it through the anode are rate limiting steps. The battery is not a single cell, but actually thousands of cells wired together. A computer is required to manage the flow of electricity.

While all parts of the battery are being evaluated for improvements, graphite, if used in the anode, has potential for low cost and low toxicity, which makes it attractive. The two-dimensional structure of graphite, however, causes it to require greater surface areas, sometimes made by physical operations such as drilling holes. Silicon is also a candidate, with some of the same benefits and detriments as graphite. Silicon does have a problem with swelling causing cracking which is potentially life limiting. Sodium and potassium batteries are also being developed, and potassium diffuses faster through the electrolyte, so potassium batteries show promise, but are relatively heavy. 

Regardless of the anode and cathode materials used, it is certain that electrolyte development will get increasing attention.

The upcoming 2025 STLE Tribology & Lubrication for E-Mobility Conference, Nov. 19-21 in Troy, Mich., will be an opportunity to explore more innovations related to this topic, especially with the new Battery and Charging Hardware track. Visit www.stle.org/Emobility to learn more about the event.

REFERENCES
1. EVs search for the 5 minute charge, Chemical and Engineering News, 6-16-2025. Available at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/cen-10316-feature2.
2. www.ads-tec-energy.com/us/applications/apartments?
3. https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/advice/fastest-charging-electric-cars
 
Don Smolenski is president of his own consultancy, Strategic Management of Oil, LLC, in St. Clair Shores, Mich. You can reach him at donald.smolenski@gmail.com.