Nyobolt is pioneering an electric revolution by developing ultra-fast charging batteries
Wednesday, 26 January 2022
Dr Sai Shivareddy, co-founder and CEO of Nyobolt, is looking to a future where we all have the power to make a difference
Dr Sai Shivareddy’s son is only four – but he already understands the mission that his engineer dad is on. “He knows all about the frustrations of a dead battery, and asks, ‘why does it take so long to charge?” laughs Shivareddy. “We want to help change all that.”
Shivareddy, originally from South India, moved to the UK on a scholarship at the University of Cambridge, and since completing his PhD in engineering, has spent a decade researching fast charging and energy storage systems.
The company of which he is co-founder and CEO, Nyobolt, hopes to supercharge the electric revolution with ultrafast-charging, high-power batteries.
The answer, he says, will be found in the right materials. “The limitation with existing batteries is at material level – you can’t charge a phone or laptop faster because we hadn’t found the materials to do it safely.”
We’ve got the power
Shivareddy has spent years looking at engineered solutions, innovations, and how to do things at scale.
“We have to look at where material properties come from and how to bring them out efficiently at scale.” he says. “But we are moving forward quickly. Batteries have enabled us to be on the move all the time. We want to give users a choice around charging that doesn’t exist today.”
New discoveries made at Cambridge University by his Nyobolt co-founder, Professor Clare Grey, are helping to achieve this. “Some information is in the public domain, but because we haven’t launched yet, I can’t say too much,” says Shivareddy.
“But we have game-changing potential. I did a three-minute talk for the Founders Forum that demonstrated very fast charging.”
When this will translate into lightning-fast charging for phones, car batteries and other devices will depend on further innovation.
“With some applications, such as power tools and appliances, we are aiming to enter the market very quickly. With things like phones, there will have to be some redesign to make them quicker, because the connectors we all currently use are designed to charge slowly,” says Shivareddy.
Groundbreaking innovations
It is all within sight, however, helping to signal a greener future, as well as a more convenient one. The Founders Forum, in partnership with Samsung, helps present these groundbreaking ideas to primary school children, can be a part of that, too, thinks Shivareddy.
“We want to inspire this next generation of problem solvers and make the world a better place,” he says. “To get there, we need to spark talent among children. It’ll also mean less dead-battery woe.
“It’s one thing that, hopefully, my son won’t have to think about.”
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