Nyobolt EV can charge in less than five minutes, but there’s a catch

Nyobolt has released more details on its electric car battery project, issuing proof that its prototype sports car can charge from 10-80 per cent in less than five minutes. Independent testing has also shown the car’s batteries capable of over 4,000 fast-charging cycles, while still retaining “over 80 per cent” of the original capacity.

But here’s the catch – the Nyobolt’s battery is rated at just 35kWh, which is only slightly larger than you’d find on a first-generation MINI Electric. Nyobolt claims a range of 155 miles on a full charge, so the quoted 10-80 per cent figure equates to roughly 124 miles.

For comparison, a Porsche Taycan Turbo – which utilises a similar 800-volt electrical architecture – has a 97kWh battery, and takes 18 minutes to top up from 10-80 per cent. Charging like this provides a range of around 275 miles.

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Still, during the testing phase the Nyobolt EV completed the benchmark charge in four minutes and 37 seconds when hooked up to a 350kW charger. The brand claims the car is able to maintain a consistent current of 500A for the first four minutes. 

Nyobolt’s co-founder and CEO, Dr Sai Shivareddy said: “Typically, the charge profile will only hold these peak charge levels for a short amount of the charge time.

“Nyobolt’s low impedance cells ensure we can offer sustainability, stretching out the battery’s usable life for up to 600,000 miles in the case of our technology demonstrator,” he said.

Nyobolt is also playing on the fact that lighter components, such as smaller batteries, make its cars more engaging to drive. Shane Davies, Nyobolt’s director of vehicle battery systems, said: “We can enable OEMs to build excitement back into the segment, which is literally weighed down by legacy battery technology”. The Nyobolt EV weighs 1,250kg.

While there aren’t currently plans to sell the Nyobolt EV to paying customers, the company says its battery-assembly targets are engineered so that low-volume production is possible. If things go to plan, the firm could be building up to 1,000 packs per year by 2025.

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