Former Aston Martin Vanquish and Jaguar F-Type designer, Ian Callum’s company, is at the heart of an electric vehicle battery development that could reduce charging times to just six minutes..
Design and engineering business Callum, together with the pioneering developer of ultra-fast-charging batteries, Nyobolt, have revealed the Nyobolt EV. Designed by Julian Thomson, developed and executed by Callum together with Nyobolt, it is set to feature Nyobolt’s new advanced battery technology that can charge fully in less than six minutes.
David Fairbairn, managing director at Callum, says: “Nyobolt’s pioneering battery technology has provided us with a unique and inspiring opportunity to support the design and execution of a vehicle set to mark the way forward for EV technology.
“The collaborative creativity, engineering capabilities and steadfast efforts of Nyobolt, Julian Thomson and Callum have resulted in an EV that is not only exciting technically for the industry, but something that is beautiful to behold, too.”
Nyobolt, wishing to demonstrate this ultra-fast charging battery technology in a nimble, lightweight sportscar, turned to the talents of revered car designer, Julian Thomson.
Thomson’s natural starting point was the Lotus Elise, having conceived it in early 1994 and, since its release in September 1996, has always wanted to evolve and modernise it.
Following Nyobolt’s approach in 2021, and working as a freelance designer at the time before being appointed design director at GM Advanced Design Europe, Thomson embraced the opportunity, inviting design and engineering business Callum to see the design through to execution.
The result of this collaboration is the Nyobolt EV – a sports car with greater presence and exaggerated proportions. Sitting on 19-inch wheels all around, its low-slung body 100 mm wider and 150 mm longer than its inspiration, while maintaining an aggressive attitude and hunkered stance that’s reminiscent of the original.
“The aim was to evolve the design and bring it up to date while keeping that iconic sports car character that was so well received in the Elise,” explains Aleck Jones, creative lead at Callum.
“Nyobolt’s technology allows this car to tick all the boxes that made the original Elise such a desirable drivers’ car with a cult following, but it’s electric. These two things don’t usually come hand-in-hand due to weight and battery packaging constraints.”
The new battery technology is smaller, lighter and faster to charge. In the Nyobolt EV, set to weigh close to one tonne, this translates into a 35 kWh battery that is capable of fully charging in just six minutes with existing charging infrastructure, delivering a range of up to 250 km.
Additionally, the battery has been tested for over 2 000 fast charging cycles without significant performance loss.
Nyobolt’s ready-to-deploy technology, which will go into production in early 2024, unlocks this ‘holy grail’ through a proven 10C (six-minute) charge lithium-ion technology that is capable of immediate application and rapid scale-up. This breakthrough translates to a nimbler, more efficient EV with a lower up-front cost, lower running costs and lower use of scarce raw materials.
Sai Shivareddy, CEO at Nyobolt, said: “Unlocking the challenges faced by electric vehicle designers has been key to the development of our breakthrough fast-charging batteries.
“Previously, enabling a lightweight fast-charging vehicle was not possible without compromising its lifetime and so people have been relying on costly and large battery packs in the vehicle.
“With our unique technology, we have achieved a six-minute charge car and developed smaller battery packs that can deliver more power and charge in less time.”
