IF you asked a petrol-loving motorcyclist what prevents them from turning to electric power, the vast majority would mention range, recharge time, and price.
While technology is progressing in the electric bike sector on all these points, for most, the rate of progression is still just too slow.
One factor that could improve the situation on two of the above-mentioned fronts is recharge time. Reducing this to shorter amounts of time improves the deficit that electrically powered motorcycles have over their fossil fuel burning cousins. A battery with a recharge time of minutes, comparable to a petrol-powered bike, would go some way to alleviating the range anxiety that comes with electric motorcycle ownership. And quicker recharge times are just what this new graphene battery achieves.
It’s the combined work of Estonian company Skeleton Technologies and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany. Together they have created a graphene ‘Super Battery’ that can be recharged in around 15seconds. The lithium-ion cell is also capable of surviving a claimed several hundred thousand charge cycles, increasing the longevity of the cell when compared to a conventional battery.
So far, the firm has not provided any data relating to the energy density or anything we could compare to a conventional lithium battery. While the chances of it out-performing a competitor that has been getting developed for many years, the rate of change in a sector such as this means it is likely to catch up relatively quickly.
What is a Graphene battery?
Graphene batteries are a new type of technology that allows for increased electrode density, faster cycle times, as well as possessing the ability to hold the charge longer thus improving the battery’s lifespan.
