Remember that rechargeable batteries are already very efficient. So this fast charge thing is really about convenience, being able to charge your car at a station, similar to a fill-up today.
But that creates a problem. One good thing about plug-in hybrids is that you would normally charge at night, when there is plenty of capacity. People "filling up" during peak hours is not going to be good. By the time they charge you an infrastructure and "peak" premium, you might be longing for the gas station.
Lots of AMPS to fill in a few minutes. Back of the envelope:
Telsa does ~ 200 miles on 55KW, let's assume 550V for easy math (~ 400 IIRC). That would be 100A @ 550V for an hour to match 55,000 Whours. Multiply by 60 to get an hour down to a minute, and that is 6000 Amps @ 550V.
Let's see - (googling) 4 AWG wire handles 60A and is .2" Diameter and ~ 8' weighs ~ one pound (w/o insulation). So you are looking at 100 of those wires in each of two (pos/neg) cable, so an 8 foot "hose" would weigh over 200# and be ~ 4" in diameter with insulation. These are rounded down, plus no account for efficiency, so on the low side.
Divide all those by 5 or 10 for a 5 minute or 10 minute "fill up". But, the HEADLINE said "seconds" didn't it
Multiply by 60 for seconds. No way.
Although I see, the article never mentions cars. Sure, this could have all sorts of applications for low power stuff. It would be great to recharge small stuff (cell phones, flash lights, power tools) in a minute.
-ERD50