The word "hyper", when used as a prefix, is generally considered to be bigger and better than anything prefixed with "super".
Hypermarkets and superstores, for example. Or hypercars like the thousand-horsepower Bugatti Veyron, compared to supercars like the 560-horsepower Ferrari 458.
Thus, Silex Power's 'HyperCharging' technology could be thought of as a stage above Tesla Motors' Superchagers. Like a Supercharger, but... hyper-er.
How hyper? The ability to charge a 200 kWh battery pack in "less than 10 minutes" will give you some clue. Tesla's Superchargers take twice as long to deliver a 50 percent charge to an 85 kWh Model S, for comparison.
Silex Power describes them as fast DC-to-DC chargers capable of delivering up to 1.5 megawatts of power to a battery pack, the stations connected directly to medium tension power lines. As you can probably guess, they're intended for highway charging stations rather than your garage.
The catch? It's all purely hypothetical right now.
To its credit, Silex Power--previously responsible for the equally-virtual Chreos luxury electric sedan--hasn't claimed to have invented such a system yet.
Instead, it's described as a "unique and highly ambitious project", but one they see becoming a mainstream solution in a few years.
The HyperCharging system will use a proprietary plug design (currently on the drawing board, natch) to deliver 1,000-amp currents and voltages between 360V and 1,440V, depending on the vehicle being charged.
Other, standard plugs would be offered on its Chreos vehicle, to ensure compatibility with lesser chargers (our words, not theirs...).
The company also says its design removes the need for an inverter on the vehicle, saving space, cost and weight. And like many current electric vehicles and charging stations, HyperChargers will have a wireless connection for information exchange.
But as with the Chreos, we're finding it hard to get excited just yet.
Once again, there's nothing here that isn't theoretically possible, but until Silex Power emerges with some physical examples of its wonderful-sounding technology, it's hard to believe the hype.
We'll stick with Superchargers for the time being, thanks...
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