MIT Developing Quick-Recharge Electric Car Technology

A division within Boston-based MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) is currently involved in a project to produce an electric car capable of being recharged within an 11 minute timeframe. The division, EVT (Electric Vehicle Team) previously transformed a standard Porsche 914 1970s sports car into a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), test-driving it in March 2008.

In addition to its charging ability, the new vehicle must also be able to reach 60 miles per hour within nine seconds of hitting the accelerator, and be able to cover 200 mile distances off a single charge.

New Car Recharging Technology

The whole point of EVT’s work is to create new car recharging technology in line with the expectations of private motor drivers, based on a recharge time closer to the length of time spent filling a car up with conventional petrol or diesel at a petrol station.

The vehicle will be built around a conventional Ford CD3 platform, as used in the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ designs. Having stripped it down, EVT propose to install a new 250hp motor meant to have been fitted into an electric bus that weighs sixteen-and-a-half tons. On this basis, the 0-60 element of their vision ought to be achievable and, according to analysts, so should a maximum speed of around 100 miles per hour.

The car’s battery pack will comprise of thousands of lithium cells attached by wire, which are optimised for quick-fire recharge and which have the right chemical properties to work in a car.

Energy Efficient Car Technology

On the negative side, the projected cost of this car is $200,000, and the technology itself will have been 12+ months in development before the car’s initial test drive can take place.

Furthermore, the car would need an electric infrastructure beyond what the US can presently offer to support an 11 minute battery recharge.

However, the idea is to at least demonstrate that this level of new energy efficient car technology can be developed at all and, say EVT, costs would come down once these types of cars start to be produced within the mainstream.