One Company Is Changing How Fast You Can Charge Your Electric Car
One company thinks it has a fast-charging solution for electric cars.
This article is more than 2 years old
Navitas Semiconductor, a company known for manufacturing speedy phone chargers, is looking into electric cars for its next monetary venture. This advanced technology made with gallium nitride semiconductors can fast-charge electric cars at 3x the speed of standard conductors. Though vehicles are significantly larger than an iPhone, the company is confident it can supply adequate charging for all sizes of technology.
The gallium nitride semiconductors can charge 20 times faster than a regular silicone conductor. This allows the technology to charge a vehicle three times faster with three times the power at half the weight and size. This surprising statistic is pushing Navitas Semiconductor into the world of fast-charging electric cars.
Once the semiconductors are developed for electric vehicles, owners could see their EVs fully charge in a third of their regular time. Fast-charging an electric car is the next step in making EVs marketable and accessible since many consumers want their purchases to be fuel-efficient. A Tesla, for instance, takes almost 10 hours to charge its battery completely. This is concerning for people who might not have the time or resources to let a vehicle sit and charge.
Though Navitas’ technology is promising, this charging machinery won’t be available to the public until 2025. This might affect various automotive brands trying to develop their own EVs in 2022. Consumers might still find gasoline-powered vehicles more functional without fast-charging electric cars on the market soon.
Navitas’s miraculous gallium nitride is an interesting chemical that had no proper use for years. Gallium was usually created as a by-product when refining metals like aluminum. Manufacturers didn’t see the product as a necessary element until recent research proved its chemical powers. When combined with nitrogen, gallium nitride is perfect for semiconductors and has the potential to aid electric cars in fast charging.
Because of gallium nitride’s relatively new use, products containing the chemical are 10 to 20% more expensive. Installing a chip with this element isn’t so easy either. A manufacturer must reconstruct the chip’s power system for the chemical’s power to release. This is an issue the company is hoping to be diminished in the near future. Though it’s pricey, gallium nitride is still the fastest-charging chemical for electric cars and other technologies.
There are a number of fast-charging electric cars already available on the market. The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 has impressive mileage and quick charge times. If the battery is at 5%, it can regain 80% capacity after being charged for 35 minutes. The 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge is another excellent option for fuel-efficiency. This SUV can go from less than 10% charge to 80% in 35 minutes when using a charger with 150 kilowatts.
Since fast-charging electric cars are the most enticing vehicles on the market today, companies trying to perfect their efficiency are only increasing. Navitas is hopefully the next breakthrough company in EV production, ready to push its gallium nitride into automotive popularity. Suppose you are looking to purchase an EV soon but still wary of its accessibility; in that case, consumers will only have to wait three more years to see EVs with gallium nitride semiconductors available.
