Researchers at the University of Glasgow in Scotland have developed a prototype electric vehicle battery that can be charged in seconds by filling it with liquid.
According to a report by the BBC, the battery uses a metal oxide described as "exotic rust" that generates electricity when added to water.
A Glasgow University professor who is part of the research team says that if the experimental technology scales up to the size of battery required for electric cars, it "could hold the key to making electric cars a viable option," as recharging the battery would be accomplished almost instantly by filling a tank.
"This will overcome a big kind of cultural inertia - you can get instant refueling in the same way, with no change to your behaviour now," said Professor Lee Cronin. "Because it's a liquid it would just work as normal using the same infrastructure."
When the battery runs down, the spent metal oxide liquid must be sucked out of the battery before it's replaced with fresh fluid. Cronin and his team believe the metal oxide liquid would provide driving range comparable to fossil fuels.
Funding for the project is being provided by the University of Glasgow, the European Research Council and the Physical Sciences Research Council.
