📝 SummarXiv

Abstract

Electric vehicles and renewable energy systems need batteries that charge quickly, last many years and still store a lot of energy, but current chemistries struggle to deliver all three. Inspired by electric fish that deliver bursts of current and birds that sleep with half their brains, we propose a hybrid battery concept called SwiftPulse. It combines sodium-ion cells that provide energy with niobium-oxide cells that accept high-power pulses. A pulse-based charger and a battery-management strategy rotate clusters of cells into rest so they can recover. We derive simple models of energy density, diffusion and capacity fade to show that a pack made mostly of sodium-ion modules with a smaller fraction of niobium-oxide modules could exceed 175 Wh per kg, endure more than ten thousand charge-discharge cycles and recharge to eighty percent in less than ten minutes. Simulations suggest that pulsed charging reduces ion buildup at the surface and slows degradation. We outline a roadmap for cell-level and module-level experiments and suggest integrating machine learning to adapt pulse parameters and rest scheduling. By blending ideas from biology, electrochemistry and data-driven control, this work points toward batteries that are safer, faster to charge and longer lasting.