“Extra fast” EV battery could be made at planned $3 billion Australian gigafactory

The Driven

An electric vehicle battery that its proponents say could recharge to 85% in just six minutes could be made at a Townsville factory being planned by Australian company Magnis Energy Technologies.

Magnis Energy says in a statement that its partner Charge CCCV (C4V) has successfully tested a lithium-ion cell with a six minute charge time, labelling it a “potential game changer” for EV makers.

Magnis also says it could produce a battery with the extra-fact charging (EFC) capability in Australia, presumably from its planned $3 billion “Giga-scale” factory in Australia, for which it has received $3.1 million in grants from the Queensland government.

Australia is rich in natural resources that are used in the manufacture of electric vehicle batteries, a fact highlighted by Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk on Saturday when he tweeted that Australia is the source for lithium used in Tesla car batteries.

If Magnis succeeds in producing very fast charging batteries at scale in Australia it could put Australia – which is currently a laggard in terms of EV development, manufacture and sales – at the forefront of the EV industry.

To read the full version of this story – and view the photo gallery – on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…

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