Power of the body
3 Mar 2010 by Evoluted New Media
Hybrid cars could be powered by their body parts as scientists have patented a new composite material which stands to revolutionise car design and manufacture.
Hybrid cars could be powered by their body parts as scientists have patented a new composite material which stands to revolutionise car design and manufacture.
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Could a composite material bonnet power the rest of the car? |
Researchers from Imperial College London have created a prototype material – similar to that used in Formula 1 racing cars – which is capable of storing and discharging electrical energy. The material – reinforced lightweight carbon fibres – has the potential to replace batteries in hybrid cars.
“The material combines two functions,” Imperial’s Joachim Steinke told Laboratory News, “It offers structural stability, while a double layer supercapacitor stores chemical energy.” He said current hybrid designs have kept the frame and batteries – which have been optimised for their function – separate, but the new material has combined the two.
Steinke said the epoxy resin combined with carbon fibres functions as an electrode, and is able to store and release energy much faster than batteries so are suitable for short power bursts. Steinke worked on improving the polymer resin to enable it to conduct and interface with the carbon fibres.
“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 this new composite material,” said Dr Emile Greenhalgh, project coordinator.
The material has received commercial interest from Volvo who is investigating its use in prototype cars for testing purposes. Researchers will now develop the material to replace the wheel well in the car boot, which could lead to a 15% reduction in the car’s overall weight by reducing the number of batteries needed to power the electric motor.
The team aim to improve the material’s capacity to store energy by growing carbon nanotubes on the surface of the carbon fibres. They will also investigate the most cost effective method from producing the material on an industrial level.
The material – which can be charged by plugging it directly into a household power supply – could be used as casings for laptops, mobile phones and satellite navigation systems, replacing the need for batteries.
