Imagine a battery that reduces the overall number of structural parts in an electrical vehicle and the volume taken up by the battery. That’s the concept behind EMBATT (chassis embedded battery), which functions as structural energy storage. It can cut the volume occupied by a battery in half, with serendipitous outcomes for lightness and structural efficiency. This is similar to NASA-backed research on cubesat walls that also function as energy storage structures. IAV is a German firm that provides consultation and partnerships with leading automotive companies. It specializes in synergistic concepts and system-level thinking. The company, working with Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS in Dresden, and Thyssen Krupp System Engineering ,“Want[s] to use our experience from automotive development for renewable energies and decentralized energy supply.” It sees strong links between these endeavors, and works to combine technologies that will enable greater efficiency. Think of a Tesla battery pack, composed of individual cells connected in series and parallel …
