Hydrohertz has launched what it claims is a world-first breakthrough in electric vehicle (EV) battery thermal management — a compact, intelligent valve system that could cut fast-charging times by more than two-thirds while boosting range, safety and battery lifespan.
The UK-based firm’s patented Dectravalve technology enables precise, multi-zone thermal control within a battery pack, addressing one of the biggest barriers to faster, more efficient EV charging: uneven heating across cells during high-power charging. At the heart of the system is a digitally controlled valve that independently manages four or more cooling zones within a battery. Unlike conventional thermal management systems, which treat the pack uniformly, Dectravalve can heat or cool individual modules, keeping temperatures consistent across the entire battery.
Hydrohertz CTO Martyn Talbot said optimising operating temperatures is fundamental to battery performance. “Traditional systems struggle because one overheated module can influence the whole pack. Dectravalve maintains a controlled, consistent thermal environment without the weight or complexity of multiple valve arrays.”
Independent testing with Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) demonstrated the system’s impact under ultra-fast charging conditions. In a 100kWh LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery, Dectravalve kept the hottest cell below 44.5°C and maintained a pack-wide temperature variance of just 2.6°C — in stark contrast to typical EV fast-charge scenarios, where cells can reach 56°C and fluctuate by more than 12°C. Once cell temperatures exceed 50°C, EVs must throttle charging power to avoid lithium plating and long-term degradation. Hydrohertz’s system prevented this entirely, keeping the pack in its optimal high-power charging zone throughout the test.
By eliminating hotspots and ensuring uniform thermal performance, Dectravalve enables sustained high-power charging, with Hydrohertz claiming charge times could be reduced by as much as 68%. A standard 10–80% top-up that typically takes around 30 minutes on a 350kW charger could fall to roughly 10 minutes, bringing EV refuelling significantly closer to petrol-equivalent convenience.
The company says the benefits extend beyond fast charging. With consistent, optimum cell temperatures during both charging and driving, battery efficiency improves, delivering up to 10% more real-world driving range. For a mid-sized EV, that equates to an additional 30–40 miles per charge. Maintaining strict control over maximum cell temperatures also reduces the risk of lithium plating and thermal runaway, enhancing safety. By lowering thermal stress, the system can extend battery lifespan and protect state of health, improving residual values and second-life potential for used EV batteries.
Because the technology is chemistry agnostic, Hydrohertz positions it as a cost-effective upgrade for OEMs seeking step-change performance without the decade-long development cycles and multibillion-pound investments associated with new chemistries. Talbot said the innovation solves a long-standing weakness in EV battery design: the inability to achieve genuine, independent thermal control across zones without complexity or energy loss. He highlighted the system’s closed-loop design, which avoids thermal contamination between modules and prevents hotspots from triggering cascading temperature spikes across the pack.
“What makes this genuinely breakthrough technology is the precision it delivers,” Talbot said. “We kept battery cells within just 2–3°C, which translates directly into faster charging, longer battery life, and critically, enhanced safety.”
Hydrohertz CEO Paul Arkesden said the approach enables dramatic performance gains from existing batteries while future-proofing against next-generation technologies. “The automotive industry has been waiting for battery technology to catch up with consumer expectations,” he said. “What we’ve done is take a different approach — we’ve dramatically improved how existing batteries perform by perfecting the thermal management of them. 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.”
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