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Integrating Capacitors Into Car Frames
necro81 writes "It has long been recognized that adding capacitors in parallel with batteries can improve the performance of hybrid and electric vehicles by accepting and supplying spikes of power, which reduces stress on the battery pack, extending range and improving cycle life. The challenge has been figuring out where to put them, when batteries already compete for space. A new research prototype from Imperial College London has integrated them into the body panels and structural frame of the vehicle itself. In their prototype, carbon fiber serves as both the structure for the vehicle and electrode for the energy storage sandwiched within."
Doors, hoods, and roofs are frequently subject to damage in crashes. Th
Fuel tanks are in protected locations. Bodywork is not a protected location.
Put the capacitors in a nice standard, removable package and it becomes practical because it can be protected AND easily serviced.
Why, on a supposedly tech-literate forum, does this need to be explained?
"This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
Vehicle fires are common, and even without a petrol tank they burn very nicely. Exotic materials can produce dangerous products when burned, and their inhalation isn't just an EMS issue
When carbon fiber aircraft structures are burned or damaged, Crash Recovery teams are required to spray them with a fixative (commercial floor wax is one) then wrap them in plastic for transport and disposal.
A CONTAINERIZED capacitor can retain material which will be destroyed in a fire if it's the skin of the vehicle.
"This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."