Academicians from BTÜ propose a new solution to battery usage time, which is one of the biggest questions about electric cars.
The project titled "Investigation of the Properties of Harmonized Hexagonal Boron Nitride and Silicon Carbide Doped Polypropylene Hybrid Nanocomposites for Use in Electric Vehicle Battery Packs" was also entitled to be supported within the scope of TÜBİTAK 1002 Rapid Support program.
The polymer composite with high thermal conductivity, which will be developed within the scope of the 12-month project, is aimed to be an innovative and effective solution for the automotive and electronics sectors.
Project Manager Assoc. Dr. Meral Akkoyun Kurtlu said that as the importance of electric cars increases today, the work done by automobile companies on electric vehicles is increasing day by day.
Akkoyun Kurtlu said, “The biggest problem in electric vehicles right now is battery weight. The number of stations to charge the vehicle is quite low and the time to charge the battery is very long. We started working on this project to ensure that the charger can be used for longer periods of time with the same capacity. When looked at, the lighter the vehicle, the greater the charging endurance. "The lightness achieved with the polymer composite material we will develop will have positive effects on the energy in the batteries and, accordingly, the vehicle range," he said.
LONGER DISTANCE WITH THE SAME CAPACITY
Noting that the current battery pack in electric vehicles is very heavy, Assoc. Dr. Meral Akkoyun Kurtlu said, “Current battery packs are produced with aluminum, which causes the vehicle to be heavy. In this regard, we set out from the question "with which material can we make the battery pack lighter?" And we came to the conclusion that this battery pack can be made lighter with polymer composite structures. With this alleviation, charging usage, which is the biggest problem in electric vehicles, will be extended. In other words, thanks to this lightweight battery, you can travel longer with the same charge capacity. "The material we will develop will be an alternative to traditional aluminum battery packs, with high thermal conductivity, low electrical conductivity and a lighter material that can be used in battery pack systems in electric vehicles," he said.
Stating that the use of polymer composite battery packs will reduce the cost compared to the current situation, Akkoyun Kurtlu said, “Thus, it will be a material that is industrially applicable and has commercialization potential. As a result of this project, the effect of additives on mechanical, combustion, thermal and electrical properties of additives in polymer composites will be defined and the effect of the orientation of additives within the polymer will be determined. "In this way, this project will contribute to the production of higher-performance polymer composites, paving the way for their use in applications requiring high thermal conductivity."
