Powerful US EV battery endures 1,000 cycles, charges 80% in 10 mins

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a novel lightweight electric vehicle (EV) battery technology that significantly enhances fast-charging capabilities and energy density while reducing reliance on critical metals like copper and aluminum. The breakthrough centers on a new current collector design—a polymer layer sandwiched between thin metal layers—that shrinks the metal core by 80%, enabling the battery to recharge up to 80% capacity in just 10 minutes. This innovation also improves energy capacity by 27%, maintains high energy density after 1,000 charge cycles, and reduces manufacturing costs by up to 85%. Developed in partnership with Soteria Battery Innovation Group, the polymer-metal current collector not only lightens the battery to a quarter of the weight of conventional designs but also enhances safety by acting as an internal circuit breaker to prevent short circuits and fires. The technology is compatible with industry-standard roll-to-roll manufacturing processes, overcoming challenges such as polymer wrinkling