Swedish researchers claim to have invented a structural battery that enables “massless” storage since it forms part of the load-bearing framework. They name their carbon fiber batteries “massless” not because they have zero mass (which is technically impossible according to current physics), but because they don’t contribute any mass to a vehicle.
The battery’s energy density is 24 Wh/kg, which is almost 20% more than comparable lithium-ion batteries.
The structural battery from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden uses carbon fiber as an electrode, conductor, and load-bearing material.
Structural batteries are electrochemical energy storage materials that may be installed in objects like electric vehicles or drones. This reduces the object’s weight. A glass fiber separator, separates a carbon fiber negative electrode from an aluminum film-supported positive electrode in a structural battery electrolyte matrix material.
Each layer reinforces the others structurally. This implies that the carbon fiber batteries, or battery cells, may directly carry weights and be a component of the vehicle’s construction.
A structural battery would make the car lighter and minimize rolling resistance thus making the car almost “massless,” both of which would boost efficiency. Even with current solar technology, the vehicle would acquire additional daily range.
Reference- PV Magazine, Clean Tehcnica, Science Alert, Popular Mechanics, Chalmers University of Technology PR