British EV Batteries Go Bye Bye!

Car Bodies As Batteries?

British scientists invent a “battery killer”…a sheet of thin plastic that stores electricity.

One of the biggest hurdles of hybrid and electric vehicle (EV) adaptation so far is the size and weight of their batteries. The lead acid battery has been an automotive mainstay since the 1800s and at the end of the day it takes a considerable amount of energy and loss of efficiency to drag that type of battery around. For electric and hybrid vehicle’s that translates into shorter range, less speed and more charging time required, but that was before the lithium ion battery.  This type of battery does a very good job of eliminating the size and weight issues, but as with any new technology the initial low production numbers and high demand translates into higher prices.

However, what if it was possible to physically eliminate the battery as a component of the vehicle and instead bestow the energy storing capabilities to another existing component of a vehicle, say perhaps the floorboard or doors, which would result in a lower overall weight? That would certainly make EVs and hybrids even more energy efficient and environmentally friendly than the fossil fuel vehicles of today.

British scientists from Imperial College London’s Department of Aeronautics have created a material made from two layers of carbon fibers, that are sandwiched around a layer of glass fiber, which is in turn covered with an electricity conducting resin that when charged creates current like a normal battery.  Technically speaking “the material isn’t really a battery, but a supercapacitor” says Dr Emile Greenhalgh, whose team created the prototype.

The material is strong, but light enough to have a vast array of applications, and not just for hybrid and electric vehicles, but could also soon give us digital books as thin as a sheet of paper, phones as thick as credit cards, and self-heating clothes.

The material can charge and discharge at a faster rate than current battery technology and doesn’t use chemical processes and thus will have a much longer lifespan.  In addition as the material is mostly carbon and glass the cost for this energy storage should only be a fraction of the cost compared to the lithium ion batteries of today.