Latest news with #Nyobolt
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
The race is one to better 'the electric vehicle experience'
The deadline is just a decade away. From 2035, if you buy a new car in the UK, it will have to be 100% emissions free. But while the pressure to move to electric vehicles (EVs) is transforming the car making landscape, there are firms in the East seizing an opportunity and creating will, however, have to overcome the barriers that studies show still deter motorists from making the switch – cost, range anxiety, charging time and Department for Transport said one in five new cars sold in May was electric, with the UK leading Europe in EV sales this race to develop consumer-friendly EV technology is on. Rules imposed to speed up the transition to electric vehicles in the UK partly drove the decision to close the Vauxhall plant in Luton in March, with the loss of more than 1,000 jobs. For manufacturers, the goal is to make EVs as quick and easy to use as petrol and diesel cars. The Cambridge start-up company, Nyobolt, believes that starts with battery track tests, in a purpose-built sports car, a new battery developed by Nyobolt charged from 10% to 80% in four minutes and 37 seconds - from a 350kW charger. It also has a long life span – able to charge 4000 full cycles while maintaining over 80% battery president Ramesh Narasimhan says it is "like filling up with fuel"."Most cars today, even with fast charging, take around 40 minutes to charge," he said."That takes time away from the customer, and it means planning journeys more." The race to develop this technology is Chinese company BYD announced an ultra-fast charging battery earlier this year. It has overtaken Tesla as the best-selling EV maker in the world, and has just launched a car in the UK. In China, which has prioritised advances in this area, EVs are now the success of Nyobolt's current technology relies on consumers accepting something is not producing batteries with long ranges, because government data suggests 99% of car journeys in the UK are within 100 miles (161km). The test car had a range of 155 miles (250km)."Who needs a battery that will last 1,000 miles?" said Mr Narasimhan. "Why not have a smaller, lighter, cheaper battery which uses fewer natural resources to make?"But Tom Stacey has his doubts. As a senior lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University, he studies consumer attitudes to EVs."Nyobolt's approach is definitely common sense," he said."But drivers have spent decades using cars that are fast to fill up and last for three or four hundred miles, so it's hard for them to accept anything else."It's different in industry and business because they focus on reducing downtime and cost - so they would see the advantage of technology like this." The secret to Nyobolt's battery lies in the anode - the part of the battery which receives electrons when charging and releases them when the battery is being company uses Niobium Tungsten Oxide which Steve Hutchins, vice president of engineering and operations, says has addressed some of the issues associated with lithium-ion batteries."It means the battery can charge faster, using higher power, without getting mega hot and entering the conditions which cause them to potentially catch fire," he said. The company is manufacturing its anode material at a new factory in Haverhill, Suffolk because "it's really important to have production close to the researchers in Cambridge".About 70 staff are expected to work at the site once fully operational, but that relies on demand for the product. The company is in talks with a number of manufacturers, but even though EV sales are increasing, it takes time for companies to invest. "Given the safety tests that have to take place, it could take around four years to get this to market," the company Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says the charging infrastructure remains the biggest hurdle in changing attitudes to EVs. "With the UK public charging network expanding but far from complete and still costly, many drivers understandably prefer longer-range models," said chief executive, Mike Hawes. As of May 2025, there were 80,998 public charging points in the UK - 8,284 of them were 150kW or above. Nyobolt's batteries charge with a 350kW device. BYD's newly unveiled battery charges at 1000kW. Gridserve, a company specialising in EV charging infrastructure, has started to roll out 350kW devices at service stations along the M1, M4 and "electric forecourts" in Norwich and Braintree - but they make up a small fraction of the overall public system. Mr Narasimhan, however, thinks there is still time to address that problem."If the manufacturers spoke to the government now and said 'we'll have this technology ready in a few years' then work can start on the necessary charging network at the same time," he Department for Transport said it was investing £4bn in helping people switch to EVs and that the public charging network was "expanding at the rate of one every 29 minutes."As a result, EV uptake is accelerating," a spokesperson said. "One in five new cars sold in May was electric, and the UK led Europe in EV sales in early 2025. Infrastructure will continue to match rising sales." No specific data was available on 350kW chargers. For now, Nyobolt's batteries are powering robots - a market which is faster to break into. It also recently secured $30m in funding to continue its research and to develop batteries for heavy vehicles. The government wants the UK to become a leader in battery technology, and runs a scheme to help, which Nyobolt has benefited from, but it is clear that even when companies develop a viable product, the journey to adoption can be slow and uncertain. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Nyobolt secures $30m to advance high-power ultrafast charging technology
Nyobolt, a UK-based provider of high-power ultrafast charging technologies, has secured $30m in funding to advance high-power ultrafast charging technology for AI applications. Led by IQ Capital and Latitude, the funding round saw participation from partners such as Scania Invest and Takasago Industry. The latest investment brings Nyobolt's total funding to $100m. The company plans to use the capital to further develop its proprietary technology, expand into new markets, grow its workforce, and strengthen its position in the high-performance energy systems sector. Nyobolt said its ultrafast charging systems can deliver up to 20 times more power than conventional solutions, allowing batteries to charge in minutes while using fewer natural resources. Central to Nyobolt's technology is its anode material, developed from advanced cell chemistry research. This material enables high power density and rapid charging without degradation, addressing key limitations of traditional lithium battery systems. Nyobolt's technology has already been adopted in AI-powered warehouses and heavy-duty vehicle applications, according to the company's news release. Nyobolt co-founder and CEO Sai Shivareddy said: 'Our vertically integrated technology is already positively impacting customers, enabling them to experience stable, fast charge solutions when they need them the most.' In 2024, the company reported $9m in revenue. With over $150m in contract value secured, Nyobolt is targeting a threefold increase in revenue. Nyobolt is currently developing high-density power systems to meet the growing energy demands of AI data centres. Latitude partner Ash Arora said:'Charging an EV to 80% in under five minutes is headline-worthy. But Nyobolt isn't chasing headlines — they're building the backbone of the AI-powered future. 'Born out of Cambridge brilliance and scaled with world-class execution, this team is redefining what's possible in energy globally. As power grids strain under AI's explosive demand, Nyobolt is the only company turning deeptech into deep impact — fast.' In 2023, Nyobolt partnered with design and engineering business Callum to reduce electric car charging time down from hours to a few minutes. "Nyobolt secures $30m to advance high-power ultrafast charging technology" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Fast-charging battery firm Nyobolt raises $30 million for expansion
By Nick Carey LONDON (Reuters) - UK fast-charging battery technology company Nyobolt has raised $30 million to expand its business in autonomous warehouse robots and heavy duty vehicles and move into new markets including mainstream electric vehicles, it said on Wednesday. The latest fundraising was led by venture capital firms IQ Capital and Latitude and included Scania Invest, the venture capital arm of Scania, Volkswagen's truckmaking business. The latest funding brings the total Nyobolt has raised to $100 million. CEO Sai Shivareddy told Reuters that so far Nyobolt, based in Cambridge, England, has focused on energy storage systems, but in particular and autonomous robots that operate in e-commerce warehouses around the clock that require ultra-fast charging because they have almost no downtime. "We've been focused on this market because there's pretty much no competition," Shivareddy said. Last year in a track test Nyobolt successfully charged an EV to 80% from 10% in less than five minutes. The company has had talks with eight major automakers over the past 12 months about using its battery technology - which relies on a graphite anode for fast charging and high energy density - in their EV platforms, Shivareddy said. "This is totally possible for mainstream, high-volume models within the next three to five years," he said. "We stand uniquely positioned to partner with anybody and everybody who wants to build these systems at scale." Fast-charging EV platforms have come into sharper focus recently after No. 1 Chinese automaker BYD unveiled a new platform it said could charge EVs as quickly as it takes to fill up a fossil-fuel car. Shivareddy said Nyobolt will not build batteries at scale itself, but aims to license out its technology to major battery makers. Sign in to access your portfolio
