Prof. WANG Chao-Yang of The Pennsylvania State University delivered the 13th PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Battery Fast Charging for Sustainable Electrification” on 27 February 2024. The hybrid lecture attracted over 230 participants joining in person and online from more than 20 countries and regions across Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. It was also broadcast live on multiple social media platforms, captivating online viewing audience of over 13,100.
The lecture commenced with a welcome speech video by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR, followed by a brief speaker introduction by Prof. LI Ping, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Sin Wai Kin Foundation Professor in Humanities and Technology and Chair Professor of Neurolinguistics and Bilingual Studies.
In his presentation, Prof. Wang first gave some background information about the economics of battery fast charging for electric vehicle (EV), pointing out the importance of fast charging in enabling EV affordability and sustainable electrification. He then highlighted the current challenges in fast battery charging at all temperatures and presented the asymmetric temperature modulation (ATM) approach. The ATM method enables 10-minute fast charging of energy-dense Li-ion batteries at any temperature (even at -60°C) while still delivering remarkable cycle life. Next, he presented the novel thermal management concepts for extremely fast charging in both extreme cold and hot conditions and emphasised the need for battery technology that enables both fast-charging and high-temperature stability. To conclude, Prof. Wang believed that the future of battery technology lies in Lean Energy Storage Systems (LESS) coupled with ubiquitous fast charging, which can provide affordable and safe mobile energy. This would require research development to bring forth a new paradigm of battery design and thermal management without having to trade-off between fast charge, safety, lifetime, and cost.
A question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. Li followed. The audience had a fruitful discussion with Prof. Wang.
Please click here for an online review.
