How Can we Double Current EV Range

**The Future of Electric Vehicles: Structural Batteries and Efficiency**

In recent decades, electric vehicles (EVs) have transitioned from niche alternatives to mainstream automotive pillars for major manufacturers. As EV technology advances, researchers are increasingly focused on improving battery efficiency, a critical factor in determining range and performance. However, there's a paradox in the quest for better batteries: adding more or larger batteries increases power and range but also adds weight, which can reduce overall efficiency. This conundrum has led to an innovative solution—structural batteries that integrate into the vehicle's structure, eliminating additional weight.

### The Weight Paradox in EVs

The importance of weight reduction in EVs cannot be overstated. Heavier vehicles require more energy to move, much like lifting weights at the gym. Larger batteries mean more power but also more weight, creating a cycle where the battery's contribution is offset by its own mass. For instance, Tesla's Model S has a battery weighing 544 kilograms (1200 pounds), comprising nearly a quarter of the car's total weight. This highlights the need for a different approach to battery design.

### Structural Batteries: The Solution

Structural batteries, or "zero mass" batteries, offer a solution by integrating the battery into the vehicle's structure, thus eliminating additional weight. These batteries are designed to serve dual purposes: storing energy and supporting the car's structural integrity. Unlike traditional batteries stored beneath the chassis, structural batteries become part of the vehicle's load-bearing framework.

### Innovation at Chalmers University

A significant breakthrough in structural battery technology came from researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. Their approach involves using carbon fiber as both an electrode and a structural component. This material is lightweight, strong, and conductive, making it ideal for energy storage and load-bearing functions. The development of such batteries marks a step towards more efficient EVs.

### How Structural Batteries Work

The Chalmers team's battery design includes a positive electrode made from lithium phosphate-coated aluminum foil and a negative electrode using carbon fiber. This setup allows the battery to store energy while providing structural support. A fiberglass fabric with an electrolyte matrix separates the electrodes, facilitating ion transfer and mechanical load distribution.

### Efficiency and Safety

Current structural batteries offer impressive efficiency metrics. With an energy density of 24 watt-hours per kilogram, they are ten times more efficient than earlier versions. While this is lower than Tesla's 4680 cells (285 Wh/kg), the structural benefits cannot be overlooked. These batteries reduce the need for dedicated battery packs, potentially lowering overall vehicle weight and improving range.

Safety is another critical factor. Carbon fiber structural batteries exhibit high stiffness and tensile strength, comparable to traditional materials used in vehicles. This makes them as safe, if not safer, than conventional designs. Additionally, companies like Tesla are integrating similar concepts into their future models, promising a 10% reduction in vehicle weight and increased range.

### Challenges and Future Prospects

Despite these advancements, challenges remain. Carbon fiber production is complex and expensive, limiting its widespread use. However, the potential benefits—reduced weight, improved efficiency, and enhanced safety—are driving further research. Teams like those at Chalmers University aim to increase energy density and stiffness, with goals of 75 Wh/kg and 75 GPa, respectively.

### Conclusion

The integration of structural batteries into EV design represents a significant leap forward in efficiency and sustainability. While hurdles like cost and production complexity persist, ongoing research and industry support bring us closer to this reality. As companies like Tesla embrace these innovations, the future of EVs looks promising, with vehicles that are lighter, more efficient, and safer than ever before.

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This article provides a comprehensive look at the evolution of structural batteries, their potential impact on EV efficiency, and the challenges ahead. By addressing both technical details and broader implications, it offers insight into how this technology could shape the future of electric vehicles.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enover the last couple of decades electric cars have evolved from being an alternative form  of transportation to the cornerstone of every major car company's product  roadmap to take evs to the next level of efficiency developers the world over are on  the quest for better batteries but it's a bit of a paradox adding more and bigger batteries  may give the car more power and range but it'll also add weight which can actually reduce the  overall efficiency it's a bit of a paradox but what if there is a way to integrate the battery  into the structure of the car itself so that it doesn't contribute any additional weight  at all could this really make our evs more efficient will they be safe and will there  be any trade-offs we thought these questions deserve a deeper dive today on tuba davincispecial thanks to aura for sponsoring the show the future with the metaverse and nfts can seem  daunting but protecting your digital identity doesn't have to be with aura when it comes to  vehicle efficiency weight is a major factor the heavier an object is the more energy it takes  to get it to move if you've ever lifted weights at the gym you know what i'm talking about i do  all the time this creates a bit of a paradox with vehicles especially battery-powered ones bigger  batteries weigh more meaning they will eat up more of the power they provide it's a vicious cycle  right now eva batteries consume a large portion of the car's overall weight take a tesla model s for  example their batteries weigh about 544 kilograms just under 1200 pounds with a total vehicle weight  of 2241 kilograms the batteries alone comprise almost a quarter of the car's total mass  and that's with no passengers or payload of any kind the problem isn't just the battery's weight  it's that the weight doesn't contribute any load-bearing functions to the rest of the  vehicle so if we need more energy storage and less weight we have a few choices use  more exotic materials to lower the weight of the car leaving more weight for batteries or develop  more energy-dense batteries with more energy per unit of mass the sensitivity to vehicle weight is  so great that the epa estimates that just a 10 reduction in vehicle weight could result in six  to eight percent boost in fuel efficiency but what if there was a way to take better advantage of all  that dead weight what if the batteries themselves could literally do more than just pull their own  weight around that is exactly the idea behind structural zero mass batteries where typical ev  batteries today are built in sequence and stored at the bottom of the chassis a structural battery  is as the name suggests worked into the overall structure of the vehicle these batteries are often  dubbed zero mass because in essence the battery's weight disappears as it's woven directly into the  load-bearing structure major breakthroughs in structural battery technology have recently  been achieved by a team of researchers at the chalmers university of technology in sweden  before we dive into this team and talk about their breakthrough let's talk a little bit about where  the idea for structural batteries came from structural power sources have been utilized  in aerospace technology for decades transport and high performance aircraft commonly have their fuel  source built into the wings or fuselage of the craft an airplane in flight is kind of like a  gymnast with outstretched arms supporting their weight on the rings if they could just cut off  their legs and torso and stick that way closer to their arms then maybe even i could be a gymnast  this is in essence what fuel in the wings does for an aircraft so if we have already seen this  technology in action why haven't we applied it to evs yet so in essence either an aircraft in  flight or a gymnast on the rings have their load bearing forces on the wingtips and all the mass  in the center and that means that you have a lot more torque and weight and fatigue and strain on  all the parts by putting the weight closer to where the lift comes from all that is decreased  so if we have already seen this technology in action why haven't we applied it to ivs yet the  quest for better integrating fuel sources into vehicle design is a rabbit that researchers have  been chasing for a while back in 2007 the us army research laboratory began experiments to develop  a structural battery composite using carbon fiber lamina as the electrode this research acted as a  springboard for researchers at chalmers university who have finally produced just such a battery one  benefit of vvs that doesn't get enough attention is saying goodbye to gas stations which means  saying goodbye to swiping your credit card and risking some hacker stealing your card information  yeah that actually happens what about your digital security luckily our sponsor this week  is aura with online account security aura will alert you if your login information is compromised  as much as you might protect your info it's still stored on some company servers where hackers are  constantly trying to break in they also protect you financially by monitoring your social security  number for bank fraud threats and unauthorized wire transactions what i love about aura is  that it has everything you need in one app it even includes a password manager to allow you to create  crazy custom passwords and manage them all in one place and also device and network protection with  anti-virus software and wi-fi security to protect you online best of all get a family plan and this  blanket protection extends to everyone in your family plans even come with up to one million  dollars in identity theft insurance for eligible losses so take the guesswork out of being safe  online and check out aura use my link or dot com slash two bit and save forty and start  saving with a free trial today huge thanks to aura and all of you for supporting the show  one key element in developing a structural battery has been landing on the right materials  in the past structures that prove structurally sound being lightweight and strong often lack  the proper electrical properties to make a good battery and vice versa but according to chalmers  professor and project lead leaf asp introducing and utilizing carbon fiber has allowed the team  to design a structural battery that checks all the boxes possessing competitive energy storage  and structural integrity so how does a structural battery work it begins with a positive electrode  made of lithium phosphate coated aluminum foil the negative electrode is made out of carbon fiber  which serves as a host for the lithium storing energy while also providing strength and rigidity  because carbon fiber is a great electrical conductor it helps reduce the weight even further  by eliminating the need for additional copper or silver to act as a conductor a fiberglass fabric  in a matrix electrolyte developed by kth row institute of technology separates the electrodes  this electrolyte helps transport lithium ions between the two electrodes while also helping  transfer mechanical loads between carbon fibers and other parts of the vehicle now let's talk  efficiency right now the battery has an energy density of around 24 watt hours per kilogram  which is 10 times better than previous versions but to put that in perspective the 2170 cells  in the tesla model 3 and y have batteries with 246 watt hours per kilogram and tesla claims  their future 4680 cells will come in at 285 so at first glance it doesn't seem like the  structure of battery packs stack up very well against competition does it but this is where  it's time to think like an engineer while the batteries may not have the same energy density  as some of its more dedicated cousins remember they don't have to besides storing energy these  components also double as structure so any energy storage benefit is really just a bonus one that  could reduce the weight of dedicated batteries required the epa even estimates that replacing  cast iron and traditional steel components with lightweight materials could reduce the weight  of a vehicle's body and chassis by about 50 now integrating a battery into the vehicle structure  alone won't make a difference quite on that scale at least not right away but by proving  the viability of such a design we're moving closer and closer to that reality at battery day in 2020  tesla not only revealed their new 4680 battery cells but a new architecture that will integrate  the cell into the future vehicle design think of tesla's battery as structural battery light  the battery isn't built into the vehicle's entire structure instead it's able to reduce  exterior packaging making the dedicated battery area stiffer and lighter this innovative feature  promises to reduce the number of parts needed to construct these designs while also being able to  bring down the total mass of the battery pack tesla projects that this design can  bring vehicle weight down by roughly 10 percent and could increase battery range by roughly 14  when it comes to vehicle structure one element tends to make the highest priority and that's  safety in the event of an accident how safe will my battery be and more importantly how safe will  i be it turns out the carbon fiber structural batteries may be as safe or even safer than most  of the cars on the road today the structures measure a stiffness of 25 gigapascals and a  tensile strength exceeding 300 megapascals meaning the structure is comparable to other commonly used  construction materials tesla's battery pack also utilizes a hexagonal honeycomb design similar to  designs used in aerospace and other vehicles the bmw i3 uses a similar design structure for crash  absorption around the vehicle's battery pack so are we going to start seeing evs outfitted with  zero mass structural batteries in the near future tesla is expected to use their new battery format  in cyber trucks which could be a major win for the future of heavy-duty evs the batteries will  also be utilized in future model wise but the more ambitious total structural battery is likely to be  much further away currently carbon fiber vehicle structure is reserved for only the most demanding  and expensive applications vehicles like the million dollar mclaren senna and the ultra modern  boeing 787 dreamliner both use extensive carbon fiber structure to great benefit but at great cost  that's because currently carbon fiber is a much more expensive material to work with metals such  as steel aluminum are derived from raw ore which is then formed or fabricated into end products  using time tested and standardized processes like casting where molten metal is poured into dyes  or forging where compressive forces are used to shape metal in contrast carbon fiber is  pretty complex requiring a series of carbon layers laid up in an alternating weave pattern  then a binding agent is applied and everything is vacuum sealed and hardened into the desired  pattern this makes it much more time intensive and harder to mass produce if true structural  batteries are to gain prominence they will have to be developed alongside new carbon fiber techniques  in fact perhaps it's the ability to not only be structural but also store energy that might give  engineers the motivation to further pursue the use of carbon fiber the chalmers battery  has also inspired other researchers like scientists from the swedish national space  agency their project replaces the aluminum foil in the positive electrode with carbon  fiber which will help increase energy density as well as stiffness the fiberglass separator will  also be substituted by an ultra thin variant which should allow for faster charging cycles  if they succeed this team of researchers believes that this battery could reach a stiffness of 75  gigapascals with an energy density of 75 watt hours per kilogram pretty incredible however  the team doesn't expect their research to reach any conclusions for at least another two years  and the chalmers battery is also a ways off from production still this research is all heading in  the right direction finding innovative solutions to some of the biggest roadblocks facing evs today  and with companies like tesla already rallying behind these kinds of breakthroughs  we move ever closer to the day where everyone is driving an electric vehicle  but what do you think should evs follow aircraft and integrating batteries into  their structural design let us know in the comments below so that is a look at the zero  mass battery as you can tell we're still outside our studio is not ready yet hopefully in january  but bear with us and all the noise and everything else thank you so much for watching if you want to  be a rockstar supporter of this show please consider becoming a two-bit tribe member  either a patron on patreon or a youtube channel member your support really makes your 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