A team of Penn State engineers has created a battery that can self-heat, allowing fast charging regardless of the outside temperature.
the battery, not the chargers."
The researchers report the results of their prototype testing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They found that their self-heating battery could withstand 4,500 cycles of 15-minute charging at 32ºF with only a 20 percent capacity loss. This provides approximately 280,000 miles of driving and a lifetime of 12.5 years. A conventional battery tested under the same conditions lost 20 percent capacity in 50 charging cycles.
"This ubiquitous fast-charging method will also allow manufacturers to use smaller batteries that are lighter and also safer in a vehicle," said Wang.
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