Volvo developing Technology which makes an electric car's body its battery too

http://www.worldcarfans.com/110092428592/volvo-developing-technology-that-will-make-an-electric

Basically, to be succint about this, Volvo has already started to develop new technology which enables an electric car's body to double as its battery. It involves using a mix of carbon fibre and polyresin which can actually store the car's energy more efficiently than batteries can, whilst being strong, light and flexible so that it can be molded into the car's body.

You don't need to be a physics whizz to know that this will save a lot of weight (Volvo claim up to 15%), whilst being as durable (or more so) than steel. It will also predictably save a lot of space (for the engine) and enable more aerodynamic designs. Hopefully other carmakers will see this article and incorporate it into some of their own models.

The first question that comes to mind is, "Will I be blown to smithereens in the event of a crash?"

I'd really like to know the answer to that, since car batteries themselves, which aren't even taking the blunt of the impact, have been known to short and sometimes explode or catch on fire.

It's still an awesome technology though.

Super Racer Z wrote:The first question that comes to mind is, "Will I be blown to smithereens in the event of a crash?"

I'd really like to know the answer to that, since car batteries themselves, which aren't even taking the blunt of the impact, have been known to short and sometimes explode or catch on fire.

It's still an awesome technology though.

I'm sure that Volvo considered that. Perhaps the polymers/carbon fibre (though they can store electricity) are not flammable, and are unlikely to explode in a crash.