Samsung Electronic Co. Ltd. wants a bigger slice of the car battery market, showing off its ambitions with new cutting-edge battery cell technology Tuesday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Produced by subsidiary Samsung SDI, the new battery is claimed to offer a driving range of up to 600 kilometers, or 373 miles. Perhaps more remarkably, it can charge an electric vehicle to 80 percent in only 20 minutes.

The battery itself is said to come in an efficient, lightweight body that weighs 10 percent less and involves fewer components than previous batteries on the market. Samsung notes that while a conventional EV battery module consists of 12 cells has a capacity of 2 to 3 kilowatt-hours, its “integrated battery module” has more than 24 cells with a higher capacity of 6 to 8 kWh, providing a superior performance at a lower weight.

“The development of the fast charging technology is making a rapid advancement thanks to its technological know-how in materials and processes that vastly decreased the resistance inside a battery cell,” the company said in a statement. “Only 20 minutes in the highway rest area will be enough for a battery to be charged, eliminating the range anxiety of EV drivers.”

By way of comparison, Tesla owners can obtain a range of 170 miles after a half-hour of charging, meaning that Samsung’s tech delivers a 54 percent improvement on range with 33 percent less charging time. “Expectations are high that we will be able to accelerate the vehicle electrification utilizing these technologies with improved driving range, manufacturing efficiency and user convenience,” Samsung added.

Still, drivers will have wait a long time for the technology. The batteries themselves are unlikely to hit the market before 2021.

Image courtesy of Samsung