Event
Fast-Charging Batteries: From a Chemistry Problem to a Heating Problem
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
AJC Hall Forum - 1101
Catherine Stephens
301 405 9378
csteph5@umd.edu
energy.umd.edu
Chao-Yang Wang
Electrochemical Safety Research Institute (ESRI),
UL Research Institutes
https://ul.org/people/chao-yang-wang/
Abstract
Smaller, faster-charging batteries are essential for making electric vehicles affordable, sustainable, and accessible to everyone, everywhere. Rapid energy replenishment can reduce battery size and cost, lower demand for critical minerals, and deliver a true gas-station experience for EV users. Yet 10-minute charging remains challenging: cold temperatures require lengthy pre-warming, while high temperatures raise safety concerns.
In this talk, I will demonstrate that fast charging is fundamentally not a chemistry problem—it is a heating problem. I will introduce an asymmetric temperature modulation (ATM) approach that enables 10-minute charging of lithium-ion batteries across an unprecedented temperature range of −60°C to +75°C, while maintaining remarkable cycle life. The key is a heating architecture that provides rapid, controlled thermal stimulation precisely when and where it is needed.
This work reflects a broader ESRI philosophy: critical energy-storage challenges require systems-level thinking that integrates electrochemistry, thermal science, materials, cell design, manufacturing, and safety from the outset. Rather than trading fast charging against safety, lifetime, and cost, we seek new approaches that address these constraints simultaneously.
I am hiring 23 scientists to rethink how batteries are designed and engineered to tackle the critical energy challenges of the next generation. I invite Ph.D. students, postdoctoral researchers, and prospective staff scientists to connect with me during my campus visits. With exceptional startup support, we seek bold researchers who want not simply to join an established institute, but to help shape its next chapter of scientific excellence and real-world impact.
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Chao-Yang Wang is Vice President and Executive Director of the UL Electrochemical Safety Research Institute (ESRI), following a 30-year career on the faculty of Penn State, where he most recently served as the William E. Diefenderfer Chair Professor of Mechanical, Chemical, and Materials Science & Engineering. A pioneer of the electrochemical-thermal co-design paradigm for batteries and fuel cells, he is a Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the Electrochemical Society (ECS). Dr. Wang has authored 245 journal publications, holds 140 patents, and has an h-index of 122. He is the author of two books, Battery Systems Engineering and Modeling and Diagnostics of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells. He developed AutoLion™, a multiphysics software platform for the design and simulation of batteries and energy-storage systems, which was acquired by Gamma Tech and is now used by nearly every major automaker worldwide. His other innovations include the all-climate battery, deployed at the 2022 Winter Olympics and subsequently commercialized by leading automakers. His seminal work on fast-charging batteries was recognized by The Guardian as one of the ten biggest science stories of 2022.
