Exponent Unveils ‘Water-Based’ Tech That Can Charge EVs In 15 Minutes
Exponent Energy, an energy-tech startup, has unveiled the tech behind its 15-minute rapid charging solution for the EV industry. Exponent recently showcased its proprietary energy stack - battery pack (e-pack), charging station (e-pump) and charging connector (e-plug) that together unlock a 15-minute rapid charge, and long battery life (3000 cycle life warranty)– all done on regular LFP cells for the first time in history.
Rapid charging kills range anxiety and the need for expensive, oversized battery packs.
With this unique two-sided approach, Exponent says that the EVs powered by this technology will be 30 per cent more affordable, made possible by an optimised battery capacity (30% smaller), and 5 year financing (powered by 3000 cycle life warranty). Additionally, 15-minute rapid charging reduces EV charging costs by 33 per cent.
Exponent’s energy stack addresses two key problems that, for decades, prevented rapid charging on LFP cells – Lithium plating and Extreme heat.
This approach was validated by an independent testing laboratory - TUV India (TUV Nord Group, Germany) that found only 13 per cent degradation after 3000 charging cycles of 15-minute rapid charging.
15-minute rapid charging generates a ton of heat. 256 times more than the industry average of 4-hour charging. If this heat isn’t extracted, the battery pack would overheat and switch off. Therefore, Exponent has built an advanced HVAC system that’s “off-boarded” from the vehicle to its e-pump. While charging, the e-pump transfers refrigerated water through the e-plug to cool every Li-ion cell in the e-pack. This ensures the e-pack’s temperature doesn’t exceed 35°C in any ambient temperature condition.
Speaking on the occasion, Arun Vinayak, CEO and Co-founder of Exponent Energy, said, “For everyone to go electric, consumers need EVs that charge faster, last longer and cost lesser. Our unique two-sided approach to 15-minute rapid charging makes EVs last 3 times longer and cost 30 per cent less than conventional EVs. We’re excited to scale this across India starting with Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad!”
In the last 3 months, Exponent has completed over 25,000 rapid charging sessions, covering over 10,00,000 km with 200+ EVs powered by exponent on road in Bengaluru.
