Electric Vehicles Charged in Less Than 5 Minutes; NASA’s ‘Subcooled Flow Boiling’ Technique Could Boost Power Supply in Future EVs

Experimental technology designed to cool equipment of NASA in space has an Earth-bound use, too, reducing electric vehicle charging times to five minutes or less.

As indicated in a The Register report, utilizing a technology called "subcooled flow boiling," could boost the amount of electrical current the present time's EV chargers can provide automobiles by enhancing heat transfers from the charging cables, the American space agency recently explained.

The said technique would substantially lessen the time taken to charge an EV. NASA assumes a current of at least 1,400 amps would be adequate to charge a vehicle within five minutes.

To put this in context, advanced chargers accessible to science and today's industry will deliver currents up to 520 amps, while most consumer chargers on the market support currents of less than 150 amps.

Subcooled Flow Boiling Technique Used

A research team at Purdue University, headed by Issam Mudawar, a mechanical engineering professor, and sponsored by the Biological and Physical Sciences Division at NASA, said it had achieved 2,400 amps along a cable utilizing subcooled flow boiling far more than what would be needed to charge an eclectic vehicle in five minutes or less.

VS Devahdhanush, a Purdue visiting assistant professor of mechanical engineering who worked with Mudawar on this project, explained that the team has worked with NASA for over a decade, in which Mudawar and his team have investigated much different two-phase fluid flow and heat transfer models, which include subcooled flow boiling.

During this period, Devahdhanush said, they learned a lot about such physical phenomena. NASA is interested in the subcooled flow boiling of boffins

Fast-Charging EVs Through Fluid

One of the biggest drawbacks to the present EV technology is the charging speed. Hours can be added to a long journey while the car is being charged if and when chargers can be found.

The team at Purdue proposed adding subcooled flow boiling tech to electric vehicle fast charging cables, not a totally new design, as liquid-cooled EV charging cables are currently being used but are still limited in terms of capability.

The space agency also said that charging cables for customary 350-ampere "fast charging" systems need sizable conductors, rendering the charging cable quite inconvenient and difficult for customers to maneuver.

Furthermore, such chargers can only output a portion of the energy needed to charge an electric vehicle in the same amount of time needed to get a full tank of gas.

Fast-Charging Technology

Devahdhanush also explained that fast-charging technology is not prepared for rollout, and the exact time-to-market of subcooled flow boiling cables of NASA relies on support from government agencies and industrial partners willing to invest in the technology.

While in this research stage, the assistant professor explained that they are currently working with many automobile component manufacturers to improve further and execute the technology.

Related information about electric vehicle chargers is shown on The Tesla Space's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Electric Cars in Science Times.