In this environmentally conscious world, fossil fuels are being shunned in favor of renewables for electricity generation and transportation. Due to their periodic nature, excess energy generated by renewables is frequently stored in batteries. However, these often add extra weight to the cars and consumer electronics they power. Researchers from the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have developed a structural battery that is ten times better than all previous versions and paves the way for an essentially massless energy storage system for electric vehicles (EVs) and other technology.
Vanishing Battery Weight
Unlike today’s batteries, which constitute a large part of a vehicle’s weight without performing any load-bearing functions, structural batteries act as a power source and form part of the body. It is called ‘massless’ energy storage because rather than add extra weight to the vehicle, it becomes part of the load-bearing structure – the battery’s weight essentially vanishes. For EVs to be more efficient, better energy storage is required, but the overall weight needs to be maintained or reduced. Calculations suggest that multifunctional batteries, which form part of the vehicle’s structure, could significantly reduce the weight of an EV, and may even make all-electric aircraft a reality.Massless Energy Storage – Structural battery with record performance