AutoElectric VehiclesPolestar just showed off charging tech even Tesla can’t rivalPolestar 5 fitted with StoreDot XFC cells charges 70% in under 10 minutesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

AutoElectric VehiclesPolestar just showed off charging tech even Tesla can’t rivalPolestar 5 fitted with StoreDot XFC cells charges 70% in under 10 minutesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Polestar 5 fitted with StoreDot XFC cells charges 70% in under 10 minutes

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Polestar)

Polestar 5

(Image credit: Polestar)

When it comes tothe best EVs, one of the biggest points of contention is just how long charging your electric car can take. At-home charging is usually around a mere 7kW, taking many hours to charge a battery. Charging outstations are faster (and pricier), with Tesla’s SuperCharger network, in particular, lauded for its up-to-250kW maximum charging rate.

We reported late last year that thePolestar 5 could be ‘the fastest-charging EV yet’, and this next step in the car’s progress shows off what could be a good thing for all future EV owners – if the technology is more widely adopted. Other companies are looking at more radical solutions, such asNio, which offers a full battery ‘drop and swap’ station change system.

None of this is quite consumer reality worldwide yet, however, with Nio yet to open in the UK, and StoreDot and Polestar not on the market anywhere. There are alternative rivals incoming, too, includingTesla’s 615kW SuperChargers of the futurewhich could be a total game-changer – not that any car can benefit from those higher-capacity charging rates just yet (350kW is the maximum on-sale, available on the latestPorsche Taycan, for example).

Battery technologies are integral to so much of the technology we own. And with nickel and lithium in such high demand, not to mention being difficult to recycle and potentially problematic to source, alternatives are the next logical solution. Eventhe best phonesare evolving, as a separate example, with theHonor Magic 6delivering a silicon carbon cell that’s more abundant to resource but also offers a higher energy density.

The car industry has to evolve too, especially as many governments and automakers have leveraged away from traditional combustion engine production. Sure,hydrogen fuel cell is still a viable option– and BMW, among others, continue to invest in that – but with the future seemingly set to electric, we need all the battery technology advances, (safe) faster-charging and other infrastructures to improve fast. Polestar and StoreDot represent one of the first steps in that evolution happening.

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