Bedford Driving Lessons

It is one of the biggest problems facing the manufacturers of hybrid and electric cars: heavy batteries add weight and bulk to the vehicle’s design. But now Volvo is developing a car which deals with the problem using its whole body to act as a rechargeable battery. The futuristic car would be able to store braking energy while it was being driven and also store energy when it was plugged in overnight to recharge. The three-year project to develop the vehicle was launched earlier this year between Volvo, Imperial College in London and seven other European institutes. Imperial College is working on a composite blend of carbon fibres and polymer resin is that can store and charge more energy faster than conventional batteries. The material is extremely strong and pliant, which means it can be shaped for use in building the car’s body panels. Volvo claims that the car’s weight could be cut by as much as 15 percent if steel body panels were replaced with the new material. Scientists are developing the composite material so it can store more energy and on studying ways of producing the material. More