Electric cars that store charge in their bodies, rather than batteries, could be common place ten years from now.
The car bodies would be made from a composite material of carbon fibres and a polymer resin being developed by researchers from Imperial College London and their European partners, including Volvo Car Corporation.
The material will store and discharge large amounts of energy much more quickly than conventional batteries. It will also provide better strength than steel.
Hybrid cars using the composite will be able to charge quickly and run for longer distances before needing to recharge. Their operating costs would be reduced because there will be no need to periodically replace batteries.
The project co-ordinator, Dr Emile Greenhalgh, from the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London, says:
"We are really excited about the potential of this new technology. We think the car of the future could be drawing power from its roof, its bonnet or even the door, thanks to our new composite material.
Current electric cars need a large number of batteries to power the electric motor, which makes the vehicle heavier. As a result, the car uses up more energy and the batteries need regular recharging at short intervals.
Battery powered cars are constrained by the weight of their batteries which typically weigh one third the total weight of the car.
Eliminating the battery altogether would not only reduce weight but also dramatically improve efficiency.
With usage and time, chemical batteries degrade and lose their capacity to store charge.
The composite material does not use chemical processes, making it quicker to recharge than conventional batteries. The recharging process causes little degradation in the composite material, because it does not involve a chemical reaction.
The material could be charged by plugging the car into household power supply.
The researchers are also exploring other alternatives for charging it such as recycling energy created when a car brakes.
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