Reducing battery charging times is important for EVs, phones, power tools, drones, and other applications. As the number of EVs on the road increases, slow charging at home or in car parks is a less acceptable solution for mass market scenarios. Though rapid chargers can shorten charging times to under an hour, repeated use can result in battery degradation and void battery warranties.
Raises seed funding
London-based Gaussion, a UCL spinout, which has developed a new technology to allow ultrafast and safe battery charging. has raised £2.85 million in a seed funding round led by BGF that backed ForeFront and Desana, and UCL Technology Fund (UCLTF).
The company will leverage this investment to establish a state-of-the-art R&D facility in central London, enabling them to allow future growth and innovation.
Dr John Miles, Chair of Gaussion, who has been engaged for more than a decade in the UK’s campaign to develop EV charging infrastructure said: “The electrification of transport will be a big part of society’s journey towards a low carbon economy. That journey must be accomplished without delay, so it is imperative that we identify and remove the biggest barriers to EV adoption as quickly as possible. Range anxiety and long charging times are at the top of the list for attention and Gaussion’s new fast-charge technology promises to remove them”
Dr Thomas Heenan, co-founder and CEO of Gaussion, said: “Gaussion’s vision is to bring affordable rapid charging to the mass market by allowing the average EV to achieve a week’s worth of driving in a sub-10-minute charge. Our commercially viable technology represents a novel, cost-effective, rapid charging solution for both today’s batteries, and future battery technologies.”
Dr Chun Tan, co-founder and COO of Gaussion, added: “We’ve built a world-leading team that is now working to commercialise this innovation as rapidly as possible. We will leverage this investment to establish a state-of-the-art R&D facility in central London, to allow future growth and innovation.”
Prof Paul Shearing, co-Director of the Electrochemical Innovation Lab at UCL and co-founder of Gaussion, said: “New chemistries, materials and other solutions are continually being proposed, resulting in an everchanging global battery landscape. So, agnostic technical solutions such as this are hugely important to futureproof potential market changes. Gaussion’s technology has consistently passed high technical hurdles and offers something truly unique.”
Dennis Atkinson, investor at BGF, said: “We are extremely excited by the opportunity to invest in a business that has developed an impressive and elegant solution to one of the most pressing issues in the EV battery space. Gaussion is a fantastic example of a highly innovative tech business that has the potential to significantly improve the take up of EVs on a global scale.”
David Grimm, Investment Director, UCLTF said: “Gaussion has the potential to be a truly disruptive global company that pushes the world to a more mobile and sustainable future. We have been highly impressed with the progresses the team have achieved in a short space of time, and look forward to supporting them alongside BGF.”
Revolutionises rapid charging tech!
Gaussion was first founded by Dr Heenan and Dr Tan back in 2017 at the UCL Electrochemical Innovation Lab. Inspired by their earlier work using particle accelerators to analyse energy materials such as batteries and fuel cells, they saw an opportunity to apply similar technologies to tackle commercial challenges.
Gaussion’s technology can unlock truly rapid charging on existing commercially available battery cells. The team has taken commercial cells designed to charge in 1-5 hours and demonstrated 1,000+ cycles of consecutive 10-minute charging while still meeting all warranty specifications.
This patent-pending rapid charging technology will disrupt the global EV market by unlocking maximum power for re-charging while minimising degradation within the EV battery. This promising tech will have a continued wide range of applications as improved battery technologies come to market.
