Graphene-based supercapacitors developed in Australia are so light they someday might be used to create electric vehicles powered by their own body parts.
Researchers from Queensland University of Technology and Rice University in Houston say the supercapacitors, a sandwich of electrolyte between two carbon electrodes, were made into a thin and extremely strong film with a high power density.
The film could be embedded in a car’s body panels, roof, doors, hood and floor, storing enough energy to charge an EV’s battery in just a few minutes.
Queensland researcher Nunzio Motta says the discovery may be a game-changer for the automotive industry, with significant impacts financially as well as environmentally.
“We are using cheap carbon materials to make supercapacitors and the price of industry scale production will be low,” Motta says in a statement.
“The price of Li-ion batteries cannot decrease a lot because the price of lithium remains high.”
Fellow Queensland researcher Marco Notarianni says supercapacitors could make a car partly powered by its own body panels a reality within five years.
“Vehicles need an extra energy spurt for acceleration, and this is where supercapacitors come in,” he says. “They hold a limited amount of charge, but they are able to deliver it very quickly, making them the perfect complement to mass-storage batteries.
“Supercapacitors offer a high power output in a short time, meaning a faster acceleration rate of the car and a charging time of just a few minutes, compared to several hours for a standard electric car battery.”
After one full charge, the researchers say, this car should be able to run up to 312 miles (500 km) – similar to a gasoline-powered car and more than double the current limit of an EV.
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