Juicing up an electric vehicle takes time — many of the models on the market today require about seven or eight hours to recharge a depleted battery. But in the flashy world of high-end hypercars, a new battery that charges in just 18 seconds is poised to upend the market.
According to Interesting Engineering, the VarEVolt battery from the British firm RML Group currently holds the crown for the highest density power pack in the automotive industry, and is capable of generating enormous power in just seconds. In slick hybrid hypercars, the ultra-fast energy dump translates into lightning-quick acceleration — think 0 to 100 in just a few seconds.
How does the VarEVolt's 18 seconds stack up with other high-powered hypercars? The Porsche Taycan's high-performance battery can charge in as little as 18 minutes, according to the manufacturer.
Large-scale production is still some distance away for RML, but the firm eventually plans to sell the battery packs directly to EV manufacturers and as an after-market modification for older hypercars like the McLaren P1 or the LaFerrari.
