How Daimler-backed battery startup aims to make 5-minute EV full charge a reality

EV batteries cannot be recharged at consistently high rates of power due to a phenomenon that occurs when a cell is stressed known as lithium plating. Nanoscopic needle-like formations called dendrites grow, and over time they can eventually puncture the separator, causing a short circuit in lithium-ion batteries that use conventional, liquid-based electrolytes. StoreDot, an Israeli startup, believes it has the solution: substitute the carbon in the graphite anode with atoms such as silicon that are in the same group on the periodic table. These exhibit similar properties due to one unifying trait – no matter how many protons they have, they all have four electrons available that can each react to form a distinct chemical bond, just like carbon. StoreDot boss Doron Myersdorf spoke to Automotive News Europe Correspondent Christiaan Hetzner about why this helps his cells fully charge in 5 minutes.