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  • Open Access

Fast-Charging Capability Limits of Electric Vehicle Battery Chemistries

Gerard Bree*, Rebecca Sellers, Jingyi Zhao, and Louis Piper†

  • *Contact author: gerard.bree@warwick.ac.uk
  • †Contact author: louis.piper@warwick.ac.uk
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PRX Energy 5, 033018 – Published 17 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/1jw7-ylh1

Abstract

The fast cycling capability of Li-ion batteries is a key performance indicator for a range of applications including electric vehicles (EVs), in which systems must deliver/accept high currents while avoiding excessive degradation. We evaluate four leading EV battery chemistries in this context, encompassing cathodes focused on design-to-performance, LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 (NMC811), and design-to-cost, LiMn0.6Fe0.4PO4 (LMFP), alongside current state-of-the-art (graphite and graphite@SiOx composite) and next-generation (high SiOx) anodes. These chemistries are adopted as model systems to examine three common test protocols for evaluating fast cycling, specifically tuned to fast charge, fast discharge, or both. The capacity, degradation induced, and operational state-of-charge range were highly dependent on selected testing protocols. Significant loss of lithium inventory (LLI) was observed under fast-charging conditions, associated with lithium plating, observed via monitoring of anode potential in three-electrode cells, differential voltage analysis, and visual inspection of electrodes postmortem. LMFP cells induced a greater level of Li plating than NMC, reaching negative anode potentials in the early stages of fast charging. While the SiOx anode performed relatively well at high rates, it suffered a greater degree of degradation, including both LLI and impedance increase associated with excess SEI growth. This study provides a basis for battery material design and charging protocols tuned for fast cycling.

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While electric vehicles (EVs) offer many advantages over those based on traditional internal combustion engines, charging/refuelling times are typically far slower. Unfortunately, current batteries possess a limited capacity for rapid charging, as they tend to overheat and suffer damage, reducing future performance and vehicle range. Gaining a deeper understanding of how and under what conditions this damage occurs would enable battery researchers to design new systems that can achieve faster charging at home and on the roadside. In this study, the authors examined established and next-stage EV batteries using a three-electrode measurement technique that allows the collection of data to identify the key environments in which rapid-charging damage may occur. This technique will allow the design of battery management systems to predict and prevent damage, enabling faster charging over a longer lifetime.

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PRX Energy 5, 033018– Published 17 September, 2026
  • Received 18 May 2026
  • Revised 7 August 2026
  • Accepted 19 August 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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