Thermal management fluid for EV helps battery to be charged from 10-80% in ten minutes
Shell Lubricants has announced the development of a high-performance thermal management fluid for electric vehicles (EVs). In a test setting, the fluid enabled a battery pack to be charged from 10% to 80% capacity in under ten minutes.
The company in a press release, said:
Immersion cooling enables smaller, lighter, batteries capable of up to five times more range addition than typical BEVs, whilst using the existing charging network
The development is aimed at addressing consumer concerns about charging duration, which has been identified as a significant barrier to EV adoption by over 44% of non-EV drivers in major automotive markets.
In a joint project with automotive innovation company RML Group, Shell used a 34 kWh battery pack to demonstrate the fluid’s capabilities. The company projects that this charging speed, when applied to a future, highly aerodynamic vehicle with an efficiency of 10 km/kWh (around 6.2 miles/kWh), could add up to 24 kilometers of range per minute of charging (14 miles/minute).
For reference, a current market leader in efficiency, the Lucid Air Pure, operates at approximately 8.04 km/kWh (5 miles/kWh).
Enhancing heat management
Heat management is a central challenge in EV battery technology. High-speed charging generates substantial thermal energy, which can accelerate cell degradation, reduce the battery’s overall lifespan, and in rare cases, lead to safety issues like thermal runaway.
Conventional cooling systems often rely on cold plates that offer indirect contact with battery cells, which can result in uneven temperature distribution.
Shell’s approach utilizes its new EV-Plus Thermal Fluid in an immersion cooling system. This method involves submerging the battery cells directly in the fluid.
The liquid, which is electrically non-conductive, fills all the spaces between the cells, ensuring direct and uniform contact for heat transfer.
This allows for more effective and consistent temperature control across the entire battery pack, particularly under the high-stress conditions of ultra-fast charging. The fluid is formulated with Shell’s proprietary Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) Technology.
Jason Wong, Global Executive Vice President, Shell Lubricants, said:
Shell EV-Plus Thermal Fluids can help to significantly improve battery thermal performance, paving the way towards higher charging efficiencies, enhanced safety, convenience and cost-effectiveness— to support the widespread adoption of BEVs demanded by legislative initiatives around the world
Reducing time spent at charging stations
This development comes as the global battery electric vehicle market continues to expand, with sales growing 14% in 2024 compared to the previous year. This growth is increasing the demand for technologies that can make EVs more practical for a wider range of consumers.
By reducing time spent at charging stations, the technology aims to make the EV ownership experience more comparable to refueling a conventional vehicle.
Robert Mainwaring, Shell’s lead engineer on the project, stated:
Our ambition within this project was to show how Shell EV-Plus Thermal Fluids can support significant reductions in charging time without compromising cell integrity and lifetime,
This work draws on Shell’s experience in related fields, such as transformer oils and cooling fluids for data centers. The company suggests that effective immersion cooling could also enable simpler and more compact battery pack designs, potentially reducing complexity and cost.
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Thermal management fluid for EV helps battery to be charged from 10-80% in ten minutes, source
