Battery Deep Dive: 5-Minute EV Charging, Solid State & How Batteries Are Quietly Running the World!

This week's podcast was recorded live on stage at Latitude Festival 2026, in the Cosmic Shambles Forest of Science and Culture! Helen Czerski is joined by our very own Robert Llewellyn and battery chemist Professor Saiful Islam for a wide-ranging conversation about batteries — covering everything from world-record lemon batteries to five-minute EV charging, sodium-ion tech, battery planes, and vehicle-to-grid power. https://cosmicshambles.com/ 00:00 – Introduction 02:53 – Meet the guests: Robert Llewellyn & Prof. Saiful Islam 03:34 – The world-record lemon battery (and Saiful's quest to reclaim it) 08:54 – What does a battery chemist actually do? 12:42 – Debunking range anxiety: the real stats on UK car journeys 13:34 – From gadgets to vehicles: how battery use has transformed 14:36 – How do you actually measure a "good" battery? 15:21 – Where battery R&D is focused: sustainability, cobalt, and beyond 17:19 – What is a battery? The "electrochemical sandwich" explained 19:38 – BYD's flash charging: 10–70% in 5 minutes 23:31 – Why fast charging is hard — and the safety engineering behind it 28:04 – Battery recycling: Redwood Materials and "second life" batteries 31:54 – Battery passports and tracking materials 34:59 – Sodium-ion batteries: cheaper, longer-lasting home storage 37:34 – Solid-state batteries explained (and why they're the "holy grail") 39:47 – Who's leading the battery race? China's extraordinary scale 42:44 – The tipping point: global crude oil sales are falling 46:34 – Could batteries ever power planes? eVTOL, hybrids & battery gliders 52:57 – Grid storage and vehicle-to-grid: turning EVs into power plants 55:36 – Australia's home battery boom and its impact on coal 57:36 – Audience Q&A Why not come and join us at our next Everything Electric expo: https://everythingelectric.show Support our StopBurningStuff campaign: https://www.patreon.com/STOPBurningStuff Become an Everything Electric Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fullychargedshow Buy the Fully Charged Guide to Electric Vehicles & Clean Energy : https://buff.ly/2GybGt0 Subscribe for episode alerts and the Everything Electric newsletter: https://fullycharged.show/zap-sign-up/ Visit: https://FullyCharged.Show Find us on X: https://x.com/Everyth1ngElec Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialeverythingelectric To partner, exhibit or sponsor at our award-winning expos email: [email protected] EE GREATER LONDON (Twickenham) - 11th & 12th Sept 2026 EE SYDNEY - Sydney Olympic Park - 18th - 20th Sept 2026 #fullychargedshow #everythingelectricshow #homeenergy #cleanenergy #battery #electriccars #electric-vehicles-uk