Raphael Thys
Electric Ford F-150 Lightning revealed
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Ford wants to hot-wire your car.
Ford researchers are working with Perdue University to develop a high-power electric car charging cable. (Ford )
The automaker and Perdue University are co-developing a charging cable for use with high-power charging stations that could recharge an electric vehicle's battery in the same time it takes to fill a gas tank, which typically takes about five minutes
The cable features a unique liquid cooling system that can phase the liquid into vapor, which improves its ability to dissipate heat.
The electric Ford F-150 Lightning pickup takes about 40 minutes to charge from 15% to 80%. (Ford)
"Today, chargers are limited in how quickly they can charge an EV’s battery due to the danger of overheating. Charging faster requires more current to travel through the charging cable," Michael Degner, senior technical leader, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering, said.
"The higher the current, the greater the amount of heat that has to be removed to keep the cable operational."
The most powerful stations currently in use can charge an electric car to 80% in 20 to 40 minutes and new cable designs will be required to increase the speed as battery and charging network technology improves.
A timeline for the rollout of the new cable has not been announced, but a patent application has been filed to protect the intellectual property.