Electric vehicles may soon have something in common with vintage woodie cars — but not outwardly.
That's because experts at Austria's Graz University of Technology are including wood in a cutting-edge battery housing. It's used with thin steel sheets as part of an innovation that has performed well in safety, deformation, and even fire tests. In certain scenarios, the combo tested better than common aluminum cases. Importantly, the product has a "lower environmental impact" than the aluminum kind, which requires a lot of energy to manufacture, according to a news release.
"For this reason we have dispensed with aluminium," research team lead Florian Feist said. "Instead, we use a very thin steel skin whose chambers are filled with wood. The steel skin is welded directly in the presence of the wooden core."
Wood's unique structure provides shock-absorbing ability, which is an asset for crash protection. One of the violent tests described by Graz involved a collision at high speed with a round, steel pillar.
"We were amazed ourselves at how well our housing performed in a simulated crash," Feist said.
Another innovative addition is cork. Since it chars under high heat, it's a capable fire barrier, protecting the rest of the cleaner ride. The heat test was also severe, at more than 2,372 degrees Fahrenheit with aluminum and copper particle bombardment. Graz reported that its product performed better than Tesla's version during this trial.
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The team considered water, land, and energy use along with collateral production pollution when determining if its innovation was a cleaner alternative, per the summary.
Battery housing research is happening elsewhere, as well. Scientists in South Korea are experimenting with making the very structure of EVs, and even buildings, the battery itself. In Germany, Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology experts are working on better manufacturing, with the goal of lessening environmental impact with a lighter, less-expensive unit.
While breakthroughs regarding battery housing may not be as flashy as research that involves the pack — innovations that often provide more range and faster charge speeds — a lighter, safer, and less-expensive casing can help to make better EVs.
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At Graz, the experts are seeing if low-value, reused wood can work in the improved housing. The researchers are also testing whether the wood, cork, and steel can be recycled.
The "housing performs better than the market standard," Feist said.
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