Let’s face the cold hard facts, in the future electric vehicles will become the mainstay of personal transportation, at least until small scale fusion is achieved and we all get around in flying deloreans. The biggest problem facing EV’s (electric vehicles) is their batteries, current technologies only allow us to travel short distances, endure long charging times and don’t forget good old battery death. That is until now.
Scientist’s at the Queensland University of Technology have not invented a new battery or built upon current battery technologies but have instead possibly revolutionised the EV market by using nanotechnology to create lightweight Super-Capacitors that when combined with regular batteries dramatically boost the power and charge times of an EV.
The revolutionary Super-Capacitor is a not some bulky contraption that will take up boot space in your car but instead has been developed into a film that can be embedded into the cars bodywork, essentially turning every surface of the car into a high energy storage device. The findings were published in the Nanotechnology journal and are hinting at having this technology available within 5 years.
“Vehicles need an extra energy spurt for acceleration, and this is where super-capacitors come in. They hold a limited amount of charge, but they are able to deliver it very quickly, making them the perfect complement to mass-storage batteries,” Researcher Mr Notarianni said. “Super-capacitors offer a high power output in a short time, meaning a faster acceleration rate of the car and a charging time of just a few minutes, compared to several hours for a standard electric car battery.”
“In the future, it is hoped the super-capacitor will be developed to store more energy than a Li-Ion battery while retaining the ability to release its energy up to 10 times faster – meaning the car could be entirely powered by the super-capacitors in its body panels. After one full charge this car should be able to run up to 500km – similar to a petrol-powered car and more than double the current limit of an electric car.”
Stay Curious – C.Costigan
