NASA science to improve cargo technologies

A cooling technology developed by NASA for use in space could significantly speed up the charging of electric cars on Earth in the future. As NASA explains in a blog post, the cooling mechanism developed as part of the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE) has the potential to reduce the charging time of electric car batteries to less than five minutes

This would require a current of 1,400 amps, but currently this would overheat the wires. In an experiment, researchers have now applied FBCE technology to electric car charging technology by passing a dielectric liquid coolant through the charging cable. According to NASA, a current of 2,400 amperes could be achieved in the process.

Basically, the technology was developed because NASA needs to have precise “thermal control” on some components for future missions to the Moon and Mars. What the engineers mean: The sometimes extreme temperature differences between day and night in space must be compensated for in order for technology and humans to survive in these conditions. Because these cooling components must be as compact and light as possible, they could also be used for other applications on Earth, such as fast charging.

nasa.gov