Determining Accelerated Charging Procedure from Half Cell Characterization

For implementation and consumer acceptance of electric vehicles, it is critical that the convenience of fueling internal combustion engines will not be lost for a transition to electric vehicles to be made. Although this complex issue involves many facets, ranging from recharging station infrastructure to technology development, one key component is "refueling" in a short period of time. Possible solutions would be battery replacement or recharge time comparable to that of filling a gas tank. This study provides an investigation for the development of an accelerated full-cell charge procedure through an investigation and characterization of half-cell performance. Negative and positive half-cell polarization curves at various rates were used to determine the maximum rate for each step of the lithiation process. This analysis was then applied to the LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 (NMC)/graphite full cells, charging cells to 80% state of charge in ~34 minutes and showing capacity fade over 75 cycles similar to cells cycled using conventional constant-current-constant-voltage (CCCV) charge procedure.