Desten Teases 5 Minute, 900 kW Ultra-Fast Charging Battery Tech

Desten, a Hong Kong, China-based battery company founded in 2015, teases its battery cell technology, which is promised to offer ultra-fast charging at some 10C, in less than 5 minutes.

The company says that its batteries can be recharged from 0% to 80% state of charge in 4 minutes and 40 seconds.

The prototype battery pack and electric vehicle is ready to charge at up to 900 kW, which is some three times higher than the peak value for currently available cars (270 kW – Porsche Taycan).

Desten Unveils the World's First EV Ultra-Fast Charging Technology for Indonesian Market
Desten Unveils the World's First EV Ultra-Fast Charging Technology for Indonesian Market

Desten notes that an increase in battery charging power would reduce the charging time and the number of charging stalls required, as well as improve the regenerative braking capabilities.

According to the company, the new battery cells are also long-lasting with 3,000 charging cycles (100% DoD), maintaining 80% of initial capacity, which is equivalent to 1.5 million km (932,000 miles).

If all of above already does not sound too good to be true for you, here is one more thing – no need for cooling, as the cells barely warm up during ultra-fast charging, increasing temperature by only 15°C.

“DESTEN’s ultra-fast charging capability is the result of its breakthrough discoveries in materials and cell structures, featuring novel chemical formulations produced on a custom manufacturing line. The cell can achieve an industry-leading 3,000 cycles and over 1.5 million kilometres of total driving range.

Fast charging usually entails high levels of heat build-up within batteries. Despite ultra-fast charging speeds, DESTEN batteries retain high thermal stability, remaining cool throughout operation. The batteries are also certified by external testing organizations to maintain temperatures of less than 15 degrees centigrade above ambient temperatures during operation.

Unlike other batteries, DESTEN battery cells do not require water cooling. This reduces costs and battery cooling systems’ weight, resulting in energy and cost savings.”

Well, only time will tell whether this is all possible and if yes, whether it’s economically viable.

Desten ultra-fast charging battery cell highlights:

  • HIGH CHARGE RATES – Less than 15℃ increase during Ultra-Fast Charging, against ambient temperatures
  • HIGH POWER – Constant and reliable high-power delivery
  • HIGH THERMAL STABILITY – Temperature increases strictly within 15℃ during Ultra-Fast Charging
  • LONG LIFECYCLE – Over 3000 charge cycles to 80% State of Health (SoH)
  • SAFETY AND RELIABILITY – UN 38.3 Certified by an independent testing laboratory
  • PROPRIETARY MATERIAL – Cell materials discovered, developed, and optimised for formulation in-house
  • BROAD TEMPERATURE RANGE – Suitable for all climatic conditions

Desten’s website shows a 19 Ah cell spec with energy density above 160 Wh/kg and 350 Wh/l, which indicates that those are high-power cells, but not really high-energy dense cells. They are actually below LFP.

Maybe there will be some gains from a simple battery pack/lack of cooling, but overall, it might be heavy – a 75 kWh battery would require some 468 kg of battery cells (plus everything else in the battery pack, like cables, electronics, modules, enclosure).

The second question is the cost, as the fast charging LTP batteries, often used in electric buses – as far as we know – have usually been costly (per kWh unit).

Cell specs:

  • Cell Capacity: 19 Ah
  • Energy Density (Volumetric): 350 Wh/L
  • Specific Energy – (Gravimetric): >160 Wh/Kg
  • Specific Power: 1600 W/Kg
  • Max Charge Rate / Discharge Rate: 10C
  • Temperature Change During Charging: <15℃
  • fast charging from 0 to 80% in 4 minutes and 40 seconds
  • Charge Cycles (100% DoD): >3,000

SOURCE: https://insideevs.com/news/541512/desten-teases-ultrafast-charging-battery/