This UK startup could fix the worst thing about electric cars

Imagine being able to charge your electric car from 10% to 80% in 10 minutes instead of 30. That’s the claim of a British startup called Hydrohertz – and it says it has the technology to make such charge speed a reality.

Currently, a major concern among EV drivers – and those yet to be convinced about electric cars – is that charge speeds published by manufacturers are not always achievable. Like the maximum claimed range (and MPG figures for petrol and diesel cars too, of course) these represent a best-case scenario.

This usually means an EV with a battery that is low on charge, but also warm and ready to take on electricity in the most efficient way possible. But that isn’t enough to hit headline charge times, because ambient temperature plays a role, and so too does the charger itself. It might be labelled as a 350 kW charger, and you’d rightly assume that will give your car capable of 300 kW charging the maximum-possible boost. But, again, real-world performance can vary.

In some cases, the difference between claimed charge rate and reality can be significant. Research conducted by What Car? in 2025 found some cars charged at just 37% of their claimed maximum speed. Similar research by The Times found that EVs “barely ever” reach their full charge speed during normal use. Add this to a claim that 83% of UK electric car drivers encountered difficulties when using public chargers in the year to April 2025, and clearly, more needs to be done to improve the charging experience.

Focus on charge speed specifically, and there are many factors at play. As well as the charge level and temperature of the battery, charge speed is affected by the age and overall health of the battery. If the charge station uses load-sharing to split its power between other EVs using neighbouring chargers – or between other local infrastructure – this can also cut charge speed.

Temperature management is a primary concern, since it plays a key role in restricting charge speed to protect the battery – and for that, Hydrohertz believes it has a solution. It’s called the Dectravalve, and it’s described by its makers as a “revolutionary multi-zone valve system designed to transform the way thermal energy is distributed and managed across complex systems.”

At its core, Hydrohertz says, the valve “enables precise, independent control of thermal flow to multiple zones from a single inlet source. Whether used for heating, cooling, or energy recovery, it intelligently directs flow to where it’s needed and nowhere else.”

For electric cars, this means the potential to keep a battery cooler – and in its ideal operating window – while being charged. Cold batteries charge slowly, but so do batteries that become too hot, so using a valve like this could help regulate temperature, allowing for higher charge rates and reducing charge time. Whereas EV batteries currently regulate the temperature of the pack as a whole, heating or cooling the entire battery as one, an EV equipped with this technology could split its battery into zones and manage each according to its temperature.

During a charge session, the car could direct more effort into cooling the cells within zones of the battery that heat up first. This keeps the entire battery pack at a consistent, optimum temperature instead of throttling back the charge rate because a portion of the battery has become too hot.

Hydrohertz says today’s EVs see their battery cells reach 56C, with a peak difference of 12C across the pack. With a Dectravalve, the EV could focus its cooling efforts on only the hottest parts of the battery, keeping the charge rate higher for longer.

The technology has been independently tested by Warwick Manufacturing Group, and with a 100 kWh LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery the hottest cell reached 44.5°C, while the temperature difference across the pack was just 2.6°C. The same test showed how EV charging times could be cut by 68%, reducing the time of a 10%-80% top-up from 30 minutes to just 10 minutes, when using a 350 kW charger.

And, since the entire battery pack is kept at its optimum temperature during the charge, driving range could be increased too, by 10% or even up to 25% in cold climates. The battery-agnostic tech could also see batteries last longer, since they are kept within their optimum operating range and not subjected to temperature extremes with each use of a high-power charger.

Paul Arkesden, CEO of Hydrohertz, said: “The automotive industry has been waiting for battery technology to catch up with consumer expectations, but progress has been slow and expensive. A new chemistry can take a decade to develop and require billions in investment. What we've done is take a different approach – we've dramatically improved how existing batteries perform by perfecting the thermal management of them.”

Arkesden continued: “This is a cost-effective solution that delivers game-changing results: consistent 10-minute charging, longer range, extended battery life, and enhanced safety. For OEMs, this means better, more useable EVs now, without waiting for the next generation of battery technology. But when that technology does arrive, Dectravalve will optimise it too. The impact for both car makers and consumers is set to be transformative.”

Beyond electric cars, Hydrohertz says its patented Dectravalve could work with household heating systems too. It is currently working with the University of Nottingham to explore how dynamic thermal zoning could reduce household energy usage by up to 30 percent. Elsewhere, it could also be used across aviation, marine, rail, data centres and precision agriculture, the company says.

For now, it’s the potential for reliably faster EV charging that has the potential to be a game-changer. Plugging in for 10 minutes instead of 30 brings EV refuelling much closer to pumping petrol or diesel; this in turn means less time spent parked at the charge, shorter wait times, fewer frustrating queues and many more customers per charger per day.