Last year, during an event with Tesla as the main protagonist about new cells for batteries in its electric cars, the mention of its new structural batteries. Currently, battery cells are grouped into modules and the set of these modules make up the battery as such. This is the one that is installed on the floor of the electric vehicle.
Structural batteries, a Tesla device
However, and despite the fact that all the focus was on counting and explaining what those new unit cells would be like for Elon Musk’s vehicles, there were many who tried to find out what the automotive sector was up to, especially the electrified , with the new structural batteries of the American company, expressly indicated for the 100% electric.
Of course. The repercussion caused that nothing was left in the air, and more than one manufacturer began to mediate to try their staging by placing them in their most current models. But neither can it be said that it is something totally new, but rather an evolution of current storage units.
Thus, these are a reformed concept that refers to an energy storage device that also can bear the weight as part of a structure. Or what is the same: as if the beams in our house were all batteries, or if an electric fence also supported a wall. The ingenuity of Tesla is that it allows you to use these batteries as part of the car’s platform, they will be part of it to give you solidity to the whole.
Five times more energy in less space
Something of its own and for what these structural batteries for electric vehicles stand out very well, is that they have characteristics that will make the vehicle finally obtain a series of superior benefits. Exactly, these will comply with the floor function of the car and they will be the only ones that will unite both ends.
Based on a more durable cell structure, its heating is much lower, which ends up increasing the charge and discharge cycles. Altogether, the car weight is reduced considerably. In this sense, it is worth mentioning that its structure is inspired by the wings of airplanes, where this space is used to store part of the kerosene, serving both as a tank and as a chassis for the plane.
That makes them have a much smaller space, but giving a much greater energy of use. With this format, the reduction of production costs would reach more than 50%, and all to provide up to five times more energy, being able to increase the autonomy of the electric car by 30%, and managing to travel up to 1,000 kilometers with each charge.
They allow adapting to different formats
Something important about this is its packaging, which has a valuable presence, especially when it comes to increasing the energy density of batteries. It is for the removal of modules, which increases the active material that can be placed in the same battery volume, also reducing the length of the wiring and the number of connections.
Although Tesla was then the first to announce its new batteries based on this principle and the one that has already managed to implement them in models such as the Model Y, other brands have also opted for this option. Manufacturers such as General Motors have also joined in, this time with a evolved format.
In his case, GM did it with a structural modular system, with which it is possible to shape different sizes of batteries depending on the vehicle in which they are to be implemented. Ford and Volvo are the last to be seen on this technology.
