An electric car fitted with a prototype battery from a third party company has completed a 1210-kilometre trip on a single charge.
The proof-of-concept battery – dubbed Gemini and offering 203.7kWh of energy – from US-based battery technology firm Our Next Energy (ONE) was installed in a Tesla Model S; the car travelled 1210 kilometres across America at an average speed of 88.5km/h without recharging in late December.
ONE says its battery would address the issue of range anxiety and, in doing so, accelerate the uptake of electric cars. It claims that, due to factors such as high-speed driving, extreme weather, mountainous terrain, and towing trailers, EVs can offer 35 per cent less range than their official figures suggest in the real world.
While greater provision of public charging stations is one commonly mooted solution to this, ONE argues that the requirement to wait in queues, experiencing slower charging speeds than advertised, or only being able to partially charge the battery are further setbacks.
Instead of drivers needing to stop every 240 kilometres, the firm believes batteries with much longer ranges that allow journeys to be completed without charging stops are the solution.
Mujeeb Ijaz, founder and CEO of ONE, commented: “We want to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles by eliminating range anxiety, which holds back most consumers today.
“We are now focused on evolving this proof-of-concept battery into a new product called Gemini, which will enable long distance trips on a single charge while improving cost and safety using sustainable materials.”
Tristan Shale-Hester