Hybrid ultracap battery promises 72

An electric car that can charge in as little time as it takes to pump a gas vehicle has long been the dream of existing and would-be EV drivers. But what if it could charge even more quickly? The average gas fill-up takes two minutes, according to the American Petroleum Institute, with other estimates coming in higher. A new electric energy storage technology being developed by Swiss tech startup Morand could offer electric city car charging times in slightly more than half that two-minute time. A cross between traditional batteries and ultracapacitors, the company's eTechnology units offer potential game-changing charging rates, coupled with the possibility of much longer lifespans than lithium-ion batteries.

Morand is the namesake of former F1 driver and team manager Benoît Morand, who was integral in developing the Hope Racing Oreco 01 Hybrid, the first hybrid prototype to start at the 24 Hours of Le Mans over a decade ago. Along with a small team of other former F1 engineers and managers, Morand has set out to apply hybrid and electric technologies derived from the upper echelons of motorsport to more practical everyday solutions.

Morand has been hard at work developing what it calls eTechnology, describing it as an energy storage solution that combines characteristics of an ultracapacitor with those of a chemical battery. In part of its test and evaluation program, the company says a 7.2-kWh eTechnology prototype was able to recharge to 80 percent in just 72 seconds, 98 percent in 120 seconds, and 100 percent in 2.5 minutes at up to 900 A/360 kW. It says independent testing was performed by Geo Technology.