• News of car battery-induced short circuits and explosions may soon become impasse. The world of automobile batteries is in the midst of a makeover; a rebirth of sorts. As automobile innovation and automation continues to redefine boundaries and set new benchmarks, why should car batteries not be subjected to the same? The latest research, and Elon Musk’s promises on World Battery Day, has touted that the future of car batteries is all set to accelerate in a new direction. There is a strong possibility that in the near future we may see batteries being built with two new primary characteristics – weightless and invisible. While the former trait appears probable, automobile enthusiasts and industry pundits are skeptical about the “invisibility” factor. As the car battery revolution continues to gather steam, we, in the following blog give you some informational nuggets on what the future of car batteries may turn to be.
• The size of batteries constitutes the majority of the weight and size in most electronic implements and appliances. Take the example of the quintessential smartphone, it is composed with the installation of a lithium-ion cell, and some processors to assist in the performance and function. Similarly, the weight of an automobile is shared by various components, batteries included. As per the latest battery innovation that is to hit the market, in the foreseeable future, the automobile pioneers are brainstorming, and developing a battery that is embedded in the vehicle’s body, and not installed as a separate entity. These newer aspects will render the car battery to become invisible and weightless, as a result. No doubt, this innovation will not only influence the vehicle’s performance but also enhance its safety factor. Invisible and weightless car batteries imply that packs of innumerable densely energized flammable cells are absent.
• While Tesla may be leading the way in car battery innovation, there are academic researches and experiments, in the recent past, that have been conducted to demonstrate the conceptual effectiveness of what has been described as a “mass-less” structural battery. A research manuscript released by the Sweden-based Chalmers University of Technology and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, explains that with the era of electric cars well upon us, and becoming increasingly widespread, there is a need for new battery innovation to enter the fray, and speed up vehicle performance and other aspects. As the world veers towards embracing electric cars as the new norm, researchers, as well as automobile manufacturers, are keen on eschewing the old-school battery structure and create more room in vehicles thus. Conventional structural batteries, on the other hand, are facing criticism for their massive sizes and space-consuming capabilities. Weightless and invisible batteries are an optimal alternative also because they are versatile and multifunctional.
• The design proposed by the Chalmers University of Technology and KTH Royal Institute of Technology is composed of buffer glass “fabric” that is snuck between a positive and negative electrode, and then packed inside a space-age polymer electrolyte, and inserted in the oven when it underwent a curing process. The result was impressive – a flat and battery cell that is tough and performs well in all tensile testing procedures. This massless battery prototype is said to have performed 10 times better than the battery model that was developed in another project, initiated in 2007.
• The mainstay purpose of inventing mass-less, weightless, and invisible batteries is not just to revolutionize cars’ performances and shelf-life. Plans are already underway to develop batteries for e-bikes, laptops, satellites, etc. The long-term goal, as it appears right now, is to pave way for a future wherein all electric devices – regardless of size and use – run on mass-less, weightless, and invisible batteries.
• Battemobile, in its operational history of 10 years, as the leading car battery services provider in the UAE, has witnessed numerous overhauls in the size, structure, and overall composition of car batteries. Therefore, we are honestly not surprised with the hullabaloo that is unfolding around the potential new future of car batteries. Truth be told, we are very excited at the prospect of seeing how much weightless and invisible batteries will impact the performance of vehicles on the road.