New BEV Test Mule Hits U.K. Roads to Prove Battery Tech

U.K. battery specialist Nyobolt is taking its laboratory experiments out to the road with the launch of its first battery-electric prototype, the Nyobolt EV.

While the company is not committing to entering the automaker market, it expects to prove its battery pack’s claimed capability to charge from 10% to 80% in less than five minutes.

Designed and engineered by British auto studio Callum Designs, founded by former Jaguar Land Rover head designer Ian Stuart Callum, the Nyobolt EV will also be used validate the company’s overall battery performance in a high-performance environment.

Nyobolt claims its initial in-vehicle testing so far this month, using powerful 800V DC fast chargers, has already confirmed that the car’s 50Ah 35-kWh battery can be charged from 10% to 80% in four minutes 37 seconds, with a full 100% charge enabling the prototype to achieve a range of 155 miles (250 km) on the WLTP rating.

It also claims its bespoke battery systems technology prevents battery degradation even during fast-charging and offers a battery life of more than 600,000-mile (966,000-km) lifespan.

It says its 24.5Ah cells have already successfully completed more than 4,000 full DoD (depth of discharge) fast-charge cycles if used in the Nyobolt EV pack, while still retaining more than 80% battery capacity. This is many times higher than the warranties of many larger BEV batteries currently on the road.

Largely thanks to the Nyobolt EV’s comparatively small battery pack, the sports car claims a curb weight of just 1,250 kg (2,750 lbs.) The company says that while its focus is on proving its battery technology, the Callum design team has engineered the car so that low-volume production, for road or track use, is a possibility.

Nyobolt says its battery assembly plans could be in low-volume production within a year, ramping to 1,000 packs in 2025, and its flexible manufacturing model enables volumes of up to 2 million cells per year.

Nyobolt’s co-founder and CEO, Sai Shivareddy, says: “Nyobolt’s low impedance cells ensure we can offer sustainability, stretching out the battery’s usable life for up to 600,000 miles in the case of our technology demonstrator.”