The fully electric sportscar was engineered Ian Callum’s firm with sophisticated battery tech by Nyobolt and styling by Julian Thomson who also penned the first-generation of the Elise
Британский стартап Nyobolt, основанный учеными Кембриджского университета, разрабатывает аккумуляторные ячейки со сверхбыстрой зарядкой. Собранный из них блок емкостью 35 киловатт-часов поддерживает ток зарядки 10С (в 10 раз больше номинального объема в ампер-часах ) и полностью наполняется всего за шесть минут.
Технология уже сейчас может быть масштабирована до тягачей и автобусов. Правда, такую скорость зарядки им обеспечат только мегаваттные «ультрачарджеры», которых пока не существует. Даже экспериментальная станция Densen максимум выдает 900 киловатт, а коммерческие XPeng и GAC — 480—500.
Впрочем, начинать нужно с малого, поэтому демонстрировать технологию лицом будет вот этот симпатичный спорткар под названием Nyobolt EV. Его дизайн придумал Джулиан Томсон, автор Lotus Elise Series I. Фактически это и есть Elise, но отрисованный заново с учетом современных веяний.
Воплотить концепцию помогла студия Callum экс-стилиста Jaguar Иэна Кэллама. Машина получила композитный кузов, 19-дюймовые колеса, оригинальную светодиодную оптику и боковые камеры со сверхмалой задержкой сигнала.
Следом Callum планирует построить опытный образец Nyobolt EV. Компания возьмет на себя интеграцию компонентов силовой установки и батареи, а также спроектирует систему охлаждения и схему электропроводки.
Батарея электрокара обеспечит дальность хода около 250 километров. Заряжать её можно от существующих терминалов, причем аккумулятор выдержит 2 тысячи циклов без существенной деградации. Каким образом получены такие характеристики, Nyobolt не говорит. По некоторым данным, в ячейках используется анод из ниобия и вольфрама, а также особый электролит.
Cambridge, UK: 13 June 2023 – Nyobolt, the pioneering UK-based developer of breakthrough ultra-fast-charging batteries, has today revealed how its advanced battery technology can transform electric vehicles. Nyobolt is showcasing a vehicle that can charge fully and repeatedly in less than 6 minutes – a new record in automotive electrification.
A vision for the future of EVs
Nyobolt’s vision is to resolve the core problems at the heart of the EV industry that are hindering the widespread adoption of electric cars globally.
Currently, matching today’s convenience of petrol refuelling has been impossible to achieve in EVs. As a result, most electric vehicle batteries are big, heavy and costly, with EV costs unreachable for some buyers and with vehicles often weighing over two tonnes. The requirement for heavy EV battery packs places a huge strain on the supply of battery raw materials. Today Nyobolt is showing that this is no longer the case – Nyobolt is revealing new battery technology that is smaller and lighter and can also be fully charged in just six minutes, with a range of up to 250 km. This breakthrough translates to a nimbler, more efficient EV with a lower up-front cost, lower running costs and lower use of scarce raw material.
The Nyobolt EV weighs closer to one tonne than two, uses a 35kWh battery and is capable of fully charging with up to 250km range in under 6 mins with existing charging infrastructure. That’s the equivalent of charging at over 1,600 mph, more than double the fastest charging cars on the road today.
New batteries equal new design possibilities
This breakthrough does not sacrifice battery life: Nyobolt has tested its batteries for over 2,000 fast charge cycles without significant performance loss – paving the way for the development of ultra-efficient and lightweight EVs.
Moreover, Nyobolt technology is not limited to small batteries. Larger packs, e.g., batteries as large as those employed in any luxury EV, truck or bus used today, can also be made and could be charged in a few minutes, once 1MW chargers become available.
Partnership with CALLUM and renowned designer Julian Thomson
When considering a car that illustrated the benefit of fast charging and higher uptime, Nyobolt decided to work with renowned designer Julian Thomson, who was inspired by his design of the Lotus Elise, perhaps the epitome of nimble, lightweight sportscars. The design vision was to evolve it into a car with even greater presence and exaggerated proportions – making it wider, longer, lower – while maintaining an aggressive attitude and hunkered, bold stance that’s reminiscent of the original.
As a friend of the brand, Thomson invited design and engineering business CALLUM to collaborate in the development of the design and in bringing it to life. The resulting EV showcases how Nyobolt’s revolutionary battery technology can be readily adopted across the automotive industry.
With CALLUM and Nyobolt working hand-in-hand, a system-level approach has addressed each element from materials, to cell, to pack, to drivetrain, to whole vehicle. The final collaborative design therefore reflects the original vehicle’s premise of a high power-to-weight ratio within an exquisite package.
Primed for rapid scale-up
Nyobolt’s ready-to-deploy technology, which will go into production in early 2024, unlocks this ‘holy grail’ through a proven 10C (six-minute) charge lithium-ion technology that is capable of immediate application and rapid scale-up.
Sai Shivareddy, CEO at Nyobolt, said: “Unlocking the challenges faced by electric vehicle designers has been key to the development of our breakthrough fast-charging batteries. Previously, enabling a light weight fast-charging vehicle was not possible without compromising its lifetime and so people have been relying on costly and large battery packs in the vehicle. With our unique technology we have achieved a six-minute charge car, and developed smaller battery packs that can deliver more power and charge in less time.
“Our partnership with CALLUM shows how adoption of system-level technology innovations can transform the future of electric vehicles and increase accessibility of EVs, including to the 40% of UK households who can’t charge their vehicle at home overnight.”
David Fairbairn, managing director at CALLUM, said: “Nyobolt’s pioneering battery technology has provided us with a unique and inspiring opportunity to support in the design and execution of a vehicle set to mark the way forward for EV technology. The collaborative creativity, engineering capabilities and steadfast efforts of Nyobolt, Julian Thomson and CALLUM have resulted in an EV that is not only exciting technically for the industry, but something that is beautiful to behold, too.”