Singapore: Scientists have developed next generation ultra-fast batteries that can be recharged up to 70 per cent in only two minutes and have a lifespan of over 20 years.

The breakthrough has a wide-ranging impact on all industries, especially for electric vehicles, where consumers are put off by the long recharge times and its limited battery life, researchers said.

With this new technology by Nanyang Technology University (NTU) in Singapore, drivers of electric vehicles could save tens of thousands on battery replacement costs and can recharge their cars in just a matter of minutes.

Commonly used in mobile phones, tablets, and in electric vehicles, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries usually last about 500 recharge cycles.

This is equivalent to two to three years of typical use, with each cycle taking about two hours for the battery to be fully charged.

In the new battery, the traditional graphite used for the anode (negative pole) in lithium-ion batteries is replaced with a new gel material made from titanium dioxide.

Titanium dioxide is an abundant, cheap and safe material found in soil. It is commonly used as a food additive or in sunscreen lotions to absorb harmful ultraviolet rays.

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