Several researchers in Sweden are working to make the very structure of electric vehicles, planes, and even computers — the batteries that power them, as detailed in a lab report from Chalmers University of Technology.
If successful, the team promises its "structural batteries" would reduce laptop weight by half, allow smartphones to be as thin as credit cards, and increase EV driving range by 70 percent.
"In terms of multifunctional properties, the new battery is twice as good as its predecessor — and actually the best ever made in the world," Professor Leif Asp said in the report. He has been the leading voice working on structural batteries for nearly two decades.
The big breakthrough came in 2018 when the team announced that tough carbon fiber could store energy, functioning as both electrodes in lithium-ion batteries. The design uses a semi-solid electrolyte for ion movement, per the summary.
At this point, the tech is likely sounding familiar to anyone with some knowledge about battery chemistry. During operation, ions typically travel between two electrodes in a substance called the electrolyte.
While the energy density, or storage capacity, isn't as good as traditional lithium-ion packs, incorporating the battery into the structure reduces weight and saves power. This flips the table on the capacity gap, according to the experts.
"We have made calculations on electric cars that show that they could drive for up to 70 percent longer than today if they had competitive structural batteries," Asp said in the lab summary.
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