Vietnamese company – VinFast, announces partnership with three firms to make more sustainable battery packs that can charge faster
VinFast, a Vietnamese automaker, is making strategic partnerships with three companies that it believes will make its EV offerings charge faster. In a bid to hold the top spot and lead the market, VinFast has announced a joint venture with Israel’s StoreDot to produce battery packs, which will charge from 0 to 80 per cent in only 5 minutes.
StoreDot claims that it has replaced the graphite present in its battery’s positive terminal (anode) with nano-scaled metalloids. According to StoreDot, these metalloids are “specially designed and synthesized proprietary organic and inorganic compounds”, which are created to speed up the charging process.
In case you think this technology doesn’t look promising, StoreDot is already using it to develop battery packs for mobile phones, e-scooters, drones, and more. The brand is working in partnership with BP, Daimler, and Samsung, among many. Also, VinFast has recently collaborated with ProLogium, which is a Taiwan-based firm and produces solid-state batteries.
The solid-state batteries possess an energy density of over three times of a lithium-ion battery of similar size. Moreover, the risk involved in working with solid-state batteries is less, as they are resistant to fire. However, Fisker pulled plugs on its plan to develop solid-state battery packs, claiming that it is difficult to work on this technology to make them perfect for everyday use with reduced operating risk.
Since these battery packs are lighter and compact, carmakers like BMW and others are working to improve their characteristics for mass-market use. Lastly, VinFast has signed an MoU with Gotion High-Tech. It is a leading battery-producing firm in China, and it is renowned for LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries. These battery packs are cheaper than the regular lithium-ion batteries and can be designed to be a perfect fit for electric vehicles with short range.
Also, VinFast has affirmed that its in-house research and development team is also working to find ways to meet the global battery demand with fast charging tech at its facility in Vietnam. The brand’s Chairwoman – Thuy Lee, confirmed that the company is ambitious about setting up manufacturing units in the US and Europe.