The recharge time of a battery is one of the main concerns of those interested in purchasing an electric vehicle. Being able to regain autonomy in the time that a car with a combustion engine needs has become a goal for companies such as the Israeli Storedot, which after a few years of development will begin to apply its technology in the commercial drone sector.
The company has indicated that this development “overcomes two of the main barriers for industries such as drones: the need to use a person to replace batteries during the day, and restrictions on where charging stations can be located.”
Commercial drones typically take 60-90 minutes to charge, allowing them to enjoy about 30 minutes of flight. As a result, drones spend much more time in the charging station than in operation, which Storedot indicates is unacceptable in any application.
To fix it, they will use their FlashBattery technology. A type of lithium battery capable of recharging in just five minutes. A system that has already been tested in an experimental phase on a motorcycle, and that in 2021 it will do so on an electric car.
But first, it will begin to demonstrate its capacity in real tests by recharging a fleet of drones that will be able to recover their load 18 times faster than at present, to which is added the characteristic of being able to do so completely autonomously.
Something that opens up great possibilities in many sectors, such as road transport, where large journeys would be much easier to complete. But without a doubt, it is the industrial sectors that can take full advantage of a ultra-fast recharge, which will facilitate the electrification of large vehicles that. If this technology fulfills all that it promises, will be able to make the transition towards more sustainable ways of moving.
A development that has even been recognized by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, as one of the most promising technologies of the moment, and that has, among others, investments from the Daimler group, one of the first to bet on this technology.