Date: Mar 6, 2019
Electric car startup Piëch Automotive, named for legendary Volkswagen executive (and grandson of the founder of Porsche) Ferdinand Piëch, arrived at the Geneva Motor Show this week with an electric supercar and an interesting story to tell. According to the company, the all-electric Mark Zero is powered by a new type of battery that will recharge to 80 percent in less than five minutes. If true, that represents a pretty incredible breakthrough in battery technology. But until we see some independent proof of this, we’ll reserve judgment.
Here’s how Piëch, which was co-founded by Ferdinand Piëch’s son Anton “Toni” Piëch along with Rea Stark Rajcic, describes its new battery tech:
The special type of cell hardly heats up during charging or discharging phases. Significantly higher currents can flow as the cell temperature rises only marginally. In addition to conventional CSC charging, the fast charging mode allows for a sensationally short charging time of only 4:40 minutes to 80% battery capacity with an exceptionally high recuperation rate. Because of the reduced heat build-up, the batteries can be cooled by air alone.This method of air cooling helps Piëch to shave off 200 kilograms (441 pounds) of the vehicle’s total weight. This keeps the weight under 1,800 kilograms (4,000 pounds), which is still fairly heavy for a vehicle of that size.
And with a charging time way below most conventional EVs, the company is promising to bring recharging time on par with the time it takes to refill a conventional car with gasoline or diesel. When charged to a full 100 percent, the Mark Zero is able to deliver a full 311 miles (500 km) of range in the EU’s new WLTP cycle.
