Companies which building electric cars are facing with a big issue that one of a batteries weight.
If you want to have more range of authonomy you need a bigger battery, which means a heavier car and of course it takes more energy to move it. Volvo has a solution.
The Swedish car company Volvo recently announced that it has been working with Imperial College in London to develop a “composite blend of carbon fibers and polymer resin” that can serve as a car’s body panels while also functioning as a battery, storing and releasing energy.
The company’s press release admits that “at the moment this is just a fascinating idea,” but it does add that “tests are currently under way to see if the vision can be transformed into reality.”
Future Volvos could be literally made out of batteries. By dispersing the battery throughout the car, it is reported that the weight of vehicles could be reduced by upwards of 15 percent if steel material will be replaced by new materials. Using the battery panel in the hood, doors and roof, the car would have a range of about 80 miles.
The project Volvo Cars is working on these car panel batteries as part of a three-year, 3.5 million Euro (around $4.7 U.S).
In a nearest future this idea could turn into reality.
