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Highlights
From “Impossible” to Reality: How StoreDot’s Radical Battery Innovation is Reshaping EV Adoption
What started as a search for better flash memory materials at SanDisk evolved into a decade-long quest to solve one of electric vehicles’ biggest adoption barriers. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, StoreDot founder Doron Myersdorf shared how his company is revolutionizing EV charging through groundbreaking battery technology – despite being told repeatedly it couldn’t be done.
The pivot to focus on batteries came from an unexpected viral moment. “I saw that I could charge a smartphone in 30 seconds,” Doron recalls. “I had 50 friends on Nicholas at the time… I thought maybe I’ll get 50 hits on this YouTube video clip that shows how I charged the phone in 30 seconds. It was like three and a half million in 24 hours.”
This massive response highlighted a critical market need, leading StoreDot to abandon their other research directions and focus solely on fast-charging battery technology. But the path forward wasn’t straightforward.
Defying the “Impossible”
The fundamental challenge wasn’t just technical – it was overcoming deeply entrenched beliefs about what was possible. “Many, I want to say, 100 professors that came to visit us with the VCs that wanted to invest here, or university experts and so forth, that came, they all told me, ‘Duran, you’re wasting this 200 million, this can never happen,'” Doron shares.
Rather than being deterred, these objections strengthened his resolve. The key insight came from focusing on materials science: “What they forgot is that everything starts with the materials. If you work on the material science of the solution, then you can basically break the boundaries of what is known to be possible.”
Building Trust Through Proof
For a technology that experts claimed was impossible, building credibility with potential customers required more than promises. “For us it’s relatively easy because the proof is in the pudding and the pudding is the battery,” Doron explains. “If you can deliver a battery that has a data sheet as a specification and you can demonstrate at the customer site that everything that you said in this data sheet is actually validated on their premises, then basically this is where the trust is being built.”
This approach has led to partnerships with major automotive manufacturers, including Mercedes Daimler, Volvo, Polestar, and others who see the technology’s potential to transform the EV landscape.
Beyond Patience to Persistence
When asked about maintaining patience through a decade-long development cycle, Doron pushes back on the framing: “I don’t think patience is the appropriate term. I haven’t been patient. I have been pushy and I have been persistent.” With monthly burn rates in the millions for lab operations across multiple countries, patience isn’t a luxury they can afford.
This persistence is fueled by a clear mission that resonates deeply with the team. “If you’ll go and ask one by one why they are at stored and not in some other company, is because they feel that they can make an impact on the planet, on global warming, on the environment,” Doron reveals.
Transforming the Industry
StoreDot’s current technology can provide 100 miles of range from just five minutes of charging, with plans to reduce that to three minutes, and eventually two minutes. “At the end of the day, the experience of the charging will be exactly like fueling, only without the fumes of it,” Doron explains.
The company’s vision extends beyond just being another component supplier. As Doron describes their ultimate goal: “When they go and buy the vehicle or they are interested in a new electric vehicle, being a Tesla or any of the other brands, they come and ask ‘is StoreDot inside, can I charge in minutes?’ And if people will ask that we did our job.”
This vision of becoming synonymous with fast charging reflects a deeper truth about breakthrough innovation: sometimes the most valuable advances come not from accepting conventional wisdom about what’s possible, but from systematically questioning and overcoming those limitations through persistent innovation.
For founders taking on seemingly impossible technical challenges, StoreDot’s journey demonstrates that the path to breakthrough innovation often requires looking beyond established scientific consensus to find new approaches – while building concrete proof points that can gradually convert skeptics into believers.
Actionable
Takeaways
Focus on Solving Critical Barriers:
Identify and address the biggest pain points in your industry, like Storedot did with EV charging anxiety, to create a product that resonates with both customers and industry partners.
Leverage Material Science for Innovation:
Don't be afraid to challenge conventional wisdom in your field. Storedot’s success came from innovating at the material level, breaking boundaries that were once thought impossible.
Build Trust Through Demonstrable Results:
Especially in industries like automotive, where safety and reliability are paramount, providing hard data and real-world validation is key to gaining customer trust.
Stay Persistent, Not Just Patient:
Building groundbreaking technology takes time, but persistence and a relentless drive toward your vision are more critical than passive patience.
Align Your Team with a Higher Purpose:
A strong mission can be a powerful motivator. Storedot’s focus on making a positive environmental impact helps attract and retain top talent.
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