A research team at the University of Michigan has developed a new electrode coating that significantly enhances the charging speed of lithium-ion batteries in subzero temperatures, offering a potential solution to winter range anxiety for electric vehicle (EV) users.
The innovation combines a glassy lithium borate-carbonate coating with a precision-engineered microchannel structure in the battery’s graphite anode. Together, the technologies allow lithium-ion batteries to charge up to five times faster at –10°C while preserving energy density and maintaining long-term durability.
“For the first time, we’ve shown a pathway to simultaneously achieve extreme fast charging at low temperatures, without sacrificing the energy density of the lithium-ion battery,” said Neil Dasgupta, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at the University of Michigan.
Traditional cold-weather charging problems stem from reduced ion mobility in battery electrolytes, often leading to slower charging and a risk of lithium plating—where metallic lithium deposits form on the anode surface, degrading performance. The Michigan researchers’ solution uses microchannels, approximately 40 microns wide, to improve ion access, and a 20-nanometre-thick coating to stabilize the electrode surface during high-rate charging.
In testing, cells incorporating the dual modification retained 97% of their original capacity after 100 rapid-charge cycles at –10°C. Crucially, these results were achieved without changing the battery’s core chemistry or energy capacity, suggesting potential for integration into existing manufacturing platforms.
Patent protection has been filed for the technology, and Arbor Battery Innovations—a startup co-founded by Dasgupta—has licensed the microchannel architecture for future commercial development.