Parts of the car chassis can in the future also be used as an energy source for the car, as an electric battery
Ultimately, the researchers hope that this material could be used in gasoline/electric hybrid vehicles and make them lighter, more economical, and more efficient, allowing drivers to travel greater distances before needing to recharge their vehicles.
In addition, the researchers believe that the material could also be used for the packaging of other devices such as phones and laptops, so that separate electric batteries would not be required. This use will make them smaller, more economical and more portable devices.
The main researcher of the study explains: "We are very excited about the future potential of this cutting-edge technology. We believe that the car of the future will be able to consume energy from its roof, door and even its hood, thanks to our new composite material. The future applications of this material do not stop here - one can think of the development of a mobile phone that will be as thick as a credit card since no more battery will be required for it, or a laptop that will consume its electricity from its packaging and therefore operate for a longer time. We are in the first phase of this project and there is still a long way to go, but we believe that our new composite material has great potential."
In the new venture, the researchers plan to develop the composite material so that it can replace the metal floor in the trunk of the car, on which the spare tire rests. The car company Volvo plans to try the new material in this form in its test vehicles.
The team of scientists claims that this use of the composite material could allow the car company to reduce the number of batteries required to run an electric motor. They also believe that this replacement could result in a fifteen percent reduction in the total weight of the vehicle, a factor that will significantly improve the distance that future hybrid vehicles can travel.
Existing hybrid vehicles include an internal combustion engine that operates when the driver accelerates, and an electric motor that runs on batteries, which comes into play in cruise mode. Such vehicles require a large number of batteries to drive the electric motor, which causes the vehicle to be heavier, less economical in its energy consumption and requires shorter journey lengths to charge the batteries.
The researchers explain that their new material, which consists of carbon fiber and polymer resin, will be able to store and flow large amounts of energy faster than common batteries. What's more, this recharge-and-recharge process causes little degradation of the material because no chemical reaction is involved, whereas conventional batteries fade over time. The material can be charged simply by connecting the hybrid vehicle to a home power source. The researchers are also looking at other options for charging the new material, including utilizing the energy generated when the vehicle brakes.
The researchers plan to improve the material so that it can store much more energy. They intend to improve its mechanical properties by growing nanotubes on the surface of the carbon fibers, which will result in an increase in the material's surface area and, consequently, in an increase in its energy capacity. In addition, they intend to examine what is the most efficient method for producing the new material on an industrial scale.
13 תגובות
Eran:
When you take your foot off the pedal, the car tends to slow down, but I can't remember if it's more or less than a normal automatic car (obviously it's less than a non-automatic car).
This is because the vehicle continues to generate electricity.
It's hard to call it braking but you feel it's not driving in neutral.
The truth is that even when I deliberately engage (to brake and generate more power) in low gear, it doesn't brake very quickly.
Michael,
Out of curiosity and little familiarity with Prius owners - when you take your foot off the gas pedal, don't you feel that the car brakes almost immediately?
To Michael, hello.
Sorry I didn't reply back, I'm still trying to keep Shabbat.
And for our purposes. I know of a Mercedes vehicle (non-hybrid) from about a decade ago that used the brakes to charge the battery.
It is also known about two other cars that use this technology (can't remember their names).
It's a bit hard for me to find out right now (due to a medical problem), but I used to be active in a car forum on Ynet under the name Prius. There are quite a few people who really understand interest in this forum, and as I wrote, it's a bit difficult for me right now even though I'm an avid car enthusiast.
In one of my comments there, I was indignant that car manufacturers do not use the (relatively) huge area of the hood, the roof, and the trunk lid, which together reach more than four square meters, to install solar cells in them.
Even so, most vehicles drive about 30-45 minutes to work and then the vehicle waits (usually in the sun) for about 8-10 hours. Or even if you go shopping or errands, as above. That way energy would be saved from the engine to charge the batteries.
good week.
Yehuda:
I didn't find out what the prices are today, but when I bought the vehicle the basic price (of a Prius) was 145,000 NIS and the total price I paid (after the insurance and all the extras I ordered, including built-in GPS, a reverse sensor and a rear TV camera) was 160,000.
As you can see - although it is really a vehicle that is much more expensive to produce than a normal car - its price to the consumer is not much higher than that of a normal car and the reason for this is that the government imposes (or at least at the time imposed) less taxes (without this relief, someone once told me, he It would probably cost over NIS 220,000).
The question of whether to buy a technological product right now or wait for the next version is a question that always exists with any technological product (I sell to people who even today are debating this question when they consider replacing a computer).
In order to encourage entry into technologies at the beginning of their journey - when the other technologies are still more "affordable", the government - if it wants to promote the technology - can subsidize, in one way or another, their use.
This happens through the sympathetic taxation of hybrid vehicles and if it is through another reward such as that which the government gives to the installers of photovoltaic systems through the Electricity Law (the electricity company is obliged to buy from you for the next 20 years every kWh you produce at about NIS 2 per hour) that it sells to you costs half a NIS. This obligation of the electric company is limited to people who will be equipped with the system already this year. The benefit in the following years will be significantly reduced - just as the tax relief for hybrid cars will be canceled over time - when people will see that it pays off for them anyway).
The manufacturers (like Toyota, for example) try to overcome the consumers' fear of new technology, by increasing warranty periods (for example, Toyota gives, if I remember correctly, an 8-year warranty for the vehicle's battery).
In my experience the car really saves fuel. It does depend on the nature of the trip, but the savings can reach as much as 50% (although in "sporty" driving it decreases significantly).
My personal decision to equip myself with these technologies (I am also in licensing processes regarding photovoltaic cells on the roof) also stems from ideological motives, but - as I tried to make clear - the financial consideration also seems encouraging.
To Michael
What about the initial cost of the Bridi car, isn't it more expensive than the conventional cars? (two engines, complicated charging and charging systems, etc.)
It is clear to us that this price increase will reduce the desire to buy such a vehicle.
In addition, as the final consumer, should I not wait until one of the innovative methods proves its skill and only then decide? Why be a guinea pig for others?
Good night
Sabdarmish Yehuda
Ovadia:
I said that the idea is good and I also explained how I use it even though the vehicle does not do it automatically.
Prius is known as one of the most advanced hybrids. Can you point to a contemporary vehicle that utilizes braking energy?
I say again as I said before: this is a good and practical idea.
I'm afraid, however, that it has yet to be implemented in any car that is sold.
To Michael,
You may be right about this specific vehicle. but……………..
There are vehicles that use the braking energy to charge the battery. The matter is very simple (relatively).
When an alternator goes into action to charge a battery or provide electricity it has a load on it. From this it follows that if we put the alternator into operation mainly during braking, it will simply create a load on the engine and slow down the vehicle (a little more complicated in an automatic vehicle, but not in the sky).
To implement this in a vehicle, all that is needed is to connect a relay to the microswitch located in the brake pedal and then, with a partial press on the pedal, the microswitch will transmit a command to put the alternator into action and this will help in utilizing the charging energy to slow down the vehicle. In this situation the brake pads are still not pressing on the disc.
If we want to achieve a more decisive deceleration or stop, we will press the brake pedal a little more and then the pads will press on the brake disk and we will get a more serious and decisive stop.
In my experience with a Prius, the electric motor kicks in even while cruising (especially while cruising slowly). The vehicle's computer decides every moment anew which engine to use if any (there are situations where it turns off both engines and uses the unnecessary momentum to charge the battery).
Besides, the claim that the braking energy is used for charging is not true in this vehicle and is more of a sales slogan.
It is a beautiful idea that is simply not implemented for these and other reasons.
The correct way to implement it was by engaging a low gear as soon as the driver hits the brakes. This does not happen, therefore if you brake - a very large part of the energy is wasted.
What I usually do to optimize the battery charge is to shift to low gear manually every time I brake.
A small correction: in hybrid vehicles, the electric motor directly helps with acceleration and at cruising speeds it disconnects and usually becomes used as a kind of generator to charge the batteries.
The reason is that most of the fuel consumption and most of the pollution are created mainly during acceleration, because during acceleration we flow (with the help of the pedal) very large amounts of fuel and large percentages of this fuel do not translate into energy
And actually exit the exhaust in the form of gases and fuel that is not burned properly, resulting in pollution and wasted fuel for nothing.
The electric engine (in a hybrid vehicle) was built to help the gasoline engine in this area.
While cruising, the gasoline engine is not under load and is actually idling, and this is exactly the right time to use it to charge the battery, in addition of course to using the braking energy to charge the battery.
Anyway. Very interesting and beautiful article.
Apologies for the length of the response.
Response to 3
And by the way, the development of the battery also sends Shai Agassi back to the drawing board and... to the employment office...
It seems that these are supercapacitors based on carbon nanotubes, similar to those developed at MIT and the EESTORE company (which postpones the production start dates for tomorrow).
On paper, this technology is the most suitable for electric vehicles, as it is characterized by very fast charging (a few minutes), an almost infinite number of charging and discharging cycles, high safety compared to lithium ion batteries, cheap materials, and more.
By the way, this technology eliminates Agassi's battery replacement mechanism, due to the short charging times.
How nice, reminds me of 'Back to the Future'.
Why not, it's always good to save and recycle~
Shay Agassi will surely be happy to hear this news