Overview
- Researchers at Chalmers University and Victoria University built a reinforcement-learning charger that adapts current to a battery’s chemistry and health.
- Tests in simulation showed nearly a 23% increase in battery life with fast-charge times kept within a few seconds of today’s rates.
- The approach targets lithium plating, a buildup of metallic lithium during hard charging that cuts capacity and raises safety risks as batteries age.
- Deployment could come through battery management software updates after transfer-learning calibration for different battery types and checks on physical cells.
- Longer-lasting packs could lower warranty costs, improve resale values, and reduce raw material use for automakers, according to the team.