Desten, a Hong Kong-based battery company, recently teased its new battery tech which it claims will be able to charge from 0-80 percent in under four minutes and 40 seconds. It states that the prototype battery and electric vehicle can be charged at up to 900 kW (which is about three times the peak value of some EVs currently in the market, for example, Porsche Taycan at 270 kW).

The new battery pack is expected to be put in use for the upcoming Piech Gran Tourer with a 75 kWh battery and five-minute charge time. The range of this car is slated to be about 500 km. Desten have not explained the chemistry of the new battery.

The company also states that the battery will have a long life with 3,000 cycles, maintaining 80% of the initial capacity, which is equivalent to 1.5 million km. Plus, the cells apparently do not need cooling as they barely warm up to only 15 degrees C during ultra-fast charging.

“Fast charging usually entails high levels of heat build-up within batteries. Despite ultra-fast charging speeds, Desten batteries retain high thermal stability, remaining cool throughout the operation. The batteries are also certified by external testing organizations to maintain temperatures of less than 15 degrees centigrade above ambient temperatures during operation.

Unlike other batteries, Desten battery cells do not require water cooling. This reduces costs and battery cooling systems’ weight, resulting in energy and cost savings.”

Time will tell whether these claims stand true when the battery is rolled out for real-world use in the upcoming electric GT. But if they do, the phrase ‘range anxiety’ could become a thing of the past.