Water-cooled cable cuts electric car charging time by a factor of four

Too long charging times and low range remain one of the main problems for electric vehicles today. But a Ford-funded invention by a team from Purdue University in the United States reduces the time it takes to charge an electric vehicle by a factor of several.

One of the main reasons for the slow performance of charging stations for electric vehicles is believed to be the cables used. It is on the cables that these scientists have focused their attention. In the lab, they have created a prototype cable that is cooled by an evaporating liquid.

The heat of the cable, which is released when charging an electric car, turns a special liquid into vapor, drawing heat away from the metal. It circulates in the cooling system of this cable, thereby cooling it and turning it back into a liquid. In this way, the new technology dissipates much more heat than existing equivalents used in electric vehicle charging stations today.

Ford says it intends to refine the new technology, which has every chance of bringing electric car charging times on par with those of internal combustion engine vehicles.

Source: dbusiness

Illustration: CHUTTERSNAP