Volvo new battery technology that uses car body panels

Electric vehicles are a fast-growing technology that is ever evolving, and one of the latest contributors to that technological evolution is Volvo. The auto maker has come forward with details about its new battery technology, which, among other things, utilizes the car’s body panels and super capacitors. We’ve got all the details on this tech after the jump.

That technology aims to improve the amount of energy an electric vehicle can store and utilize, making the entire process more efficient and giving better range for the driver, not to mention being environmentally-friendly. The project, which was funded under a larger EU research mission, took place with eight unnamed “major participants” and the Imperial College London academic lead.

Volvo says it is the only auto maker working as part of the project, helping to find a way to reduce the weight and size (and comparable costs) of modern EV battery solutions. By utilizing nano-structured batteries, carbon fibers, and super capacitors, a solution has been identified — the feasibility of such, at least. For other auto makers, the design is more cost effective due to the car structure options it poses.

Energy regeneration from the brakes is used to charge a material made of polymer resin and carbon fibers, which is moulded into shapes that can be implemented into the car’s larger design. The capacitors are then set within the “component skin.” One of its upsides is also more rapid charging than current battery tech.

Test components

Volvo Car Group has evaluated the technology by creating two components for testing and development. These are a boot lid and a plenum cover, tested within the Volvo S80. The boot lid is a functioning electrically powered storage component and has the potential to replace the standard batteries seen in today’s cars. It is lighter than a standard boot lid, saving on both volume and weight. The new plenum demonstrates that it can also replace both the rally bar, a strong structural piece that stabilises the car in the front, and the start-stop battery. This saves more than 50% in weight and is powerful enough to supply energy to the car’s 12 Volt system

It is believed that the complete substitution of an electric car’s existing components with the new material could cut the overall weight by more than 15%. This is not only cost effective but would also have improvements to the impact on the environment.