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%.
"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 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% longer than today if they had competitive structural batteries," Asp said in the lab summary.
In other work, Chalmers researchers are also incorporating battery science into cement production to turn the key building material into a power source. It's similar to cement studies being completed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
It's all part of innovations from labs around the world geared to improve and expand battery operations to maximize renewable energy and limit the production of heat-trapping air pollution.
The fumes, particularly in the form of tiny particle pollution, are linked by a recent study to underweight newborn risks. Particulate pollution is tiny droplets of liquids or solids that are suspended in the air, often spewed with exhaust, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Anyone can help to reduce the production of planet-warming fumes at home, even without structural or cement batteries. Simply switching your old light bulbs to LEDs can result in five times less pollution production compared to regular lighting. What's more, changing around 40 bulbs can result in a savings of $600 a year. LEDs cost about $5 each.
In Sweden, Chalmers is working to commercialize its structural battery tech. The experts have formed a venture company, called Sinonus AB, to aid the effort. However, the jump from the lab room to the production floor is still fairly big, per the lab report.
"One can imagine that credit-card-thin mobile phones or laptops that weigh half as much as today, are the closest in time. It could also be that components such as electronics in cars or planes are powered by structural batteries. It will require large investments to meet the transport industry's challenging energy needs, but this is also where the technology could make the most difference," Asp said in the Chalmers summary.
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