Polestar EVs to use StoreDot rapid-charging batteries from 2026

Range anxiety; it’s the equivalent of a relationship deal-breaker for people and electric cars. If the range isn’t long enough you just can’t commit. But one Israeli technology company is on its way to overcoming this hurdle by developing batteries with lightning-fast charging. StoreDot’s new technology will produce batteries that are claimed to be capable of adding 100 miles of range injust five minutes. And this isn't far into the future. It's by 2024. Someone sound the game changer klaxon!

Unsurprisingly, a lot of huge names in the world of tech, energy and automotive have already invested to get a slice of this range anxiety-beating pie. Polestar is the latest company to announce its investment in StoreDot, with a partnership to customise its cell technology that will (if successful) be implemented in Polestar cars by 2026. As Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath says, “StoreDot’s advanced battery technology potentially provides real solutions to these obstacles".

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Triple that five minutes and 300 miles in 15 minutes (assuming the charge speed remains the same as the charge rises) is a huge step towards equaling the time spent filling a car up with petrol. Already, electric vehicle manufacturers VinFast, Daimler and Ola Electric have put their money behind StoreDot, as well as techies including Samsung and TDK. And then there are the energy providers BP Ventures and EVE Energy, desperate to switch to net-zero and sustainable energy production in double time. Batteries are BIG business. Conquer them and you’ve pretty much conquered the EV problem. And that means lots of money. $1.5 billion to be precise, according to StoreDot’s current (May 2022) valuation. 

Certainly, these are exciting times in the new territory of ‘extreme fast charging'. Much like when the supercar was overtaken by a breed of hypercars, so will rapid charging seem a little sluggish once ultra-rapid charging becomes a thing.