Polestar 5: Charged from 10 to 80 percent in 10 minutes

Polestar and fast-charging battery pioneer StoreDot have successfully demonstrated StoreDot's Extreme Fast Charging (XFC) technology: A Polestar 5 prototype was charged from 10 to 80 percent in just 10 minutes. In future, this could increase the range by 320 km in 10 minutes.

According to Polestar, this is the world's first demonstration of extremely fast charging from 10 to 80 percent within 10 minutes with silicon-dominated cells in a roadworthy vehicle - i.e. not with individual cells in a laboratory environment. With this demonstration, Polestar wants to underline its commitment to developing the best possible driving experience for the future through innovative technology partnerships.

The specially commissioned 77 kWh battery, which can potentially be increased to at least 100 kWh, could increase the range of a mid-size electric car by 320 kilometers within 10 minutes in the future.

The XFC test was developed by Polestar and StoreDot engineers to provide proof of concept for the XFC battery technology that could be used in future Polestar vehicles.

No special cooling systems required in the vehicle

StoreDot's XFC technology uses silicon dominated cells with an energy density comparable to the latest NMC cells. These do not require any special cooling systems in the vehicle. The modules of the experimental XFC battery have a structural function that improves the mechanical properties and cooling capability. At the same time, the weight is maintained or even reduced. High recyclability and ease of maintenance are of the utmost importance in the design of the packs.

Consistently high charging performance

With current commercially available batteries for electric vehicles, the fast charging rates can vary greatly depending on the state of charge of the battery and can sometimes drop significantly as the state of charge increases. During this test, Polestar saw an increase in charging power from 310 kW at 10 percent to over 370 kW at 80 percent state of charge. This proves that the technology provides a constant charging speed without significant variations in speed or efficiency whenever the driver takes a break within this range.

The test also shows that the XFC technology works with today's DC charging infrastructure, where more and more charging stations with 350 kW or more are being installed.

This means that drivers would spend less time charging their vehicle in the future. Currently, many modern electric cars still take around 30 minutes to charge from 10 to 80 percent. Reducing this time to 10 minutes will bring the charging time of a vehicle with XFC technology closer to the time it would take to fill up a car with gasoline. Thanks to the constant charging performance, consumers could increase their charge level from 50 percent to 80 percent in just 5 minutes.

Time is a great luxury

»Time is one of the greatest luxuries in our lives. As a manufacturer of high-performance luxury electric cars, we need to take the next step to remove one of the biggest barriers to electric vehicle ownership,« says Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar. »With this new technology, drivers can spend less time charging during charging stops on longer journeys and get back on the road faster. In fact, the charging time will be the same as refueling a gasoline car.«

Dr. Doron Myersdorf, CEO of StoreDot, adds: »We are very pleased to announce this impressive achievement today and are proud to join Polestar on this journey. This breakthrough is revolutionary as it removes the barrier of range and charging anxiety once and for all. Drivers will be able to travel long distances with the same freedom and comfort as vehicles powered by conventional fossil fuels.«