EV\u2019s regenerative braking system<\/a>.<\/p>\nThanks to the materials used, \u201cits charge-discharge cycle life is 10 times longer than an electric car battery,\u201d Jayan Thomas, co-author of the study, explains.<\/p>\n
What does the suit bring to the table?<\/h2>\n
The first thing the tech claims to offer is increased range.<\/p>\n
The composite material is lightweight \u2014 less heavy than steel and even aluminum \u2014 which reduces the vehicle\u2019s weight and thus improves its range. (Don\u2019t forget: the lighter the vehicle, the longer its range).<\/p>\n
Plus, the suit can feed the stored energy to the electric motor, working as a \u201cback-up battery\u201d itself.<\/p>\n
Specifically, the tech can extend its range by 25%, according to the researchers, meaning that a 381km-rated EV could get an extra 80 kilometers.<\/p>\n
As a supercapacitor, the special shell can improve the electric car\u2019s performance, <\/strong>providing it the extra power it needs to go from zero to 60mph in three seconds.<\/p>\nAnd despite the lightweight nature of the structure, the materials have significant impact and bending strength, enabling it to withstand a collision. They\u2019re also nontoxic and nonflammable, which is crucial for passenger safety in case of an accident, Thomas says.<\/p>\n
To showcase the tech\u2019s application in EVs, the team fabricated a power suit for a toy car, which is able to operate using only the energy stored in its special body panel.<\/p>\n
You can check it out in video below:<\/p>\n
![\"EV](\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/03\/small.jpeg\")