Scientists Reveal How To Make Electric Car Batteries Last Longer

Scientists have revealed a cloak that goes on electric cars in the summer cools them down, but then in the winter can keep the warm and ready to run.

Electric cars are seen as the big future of vehicles on the road as they are said to be better for the environment, although what happens to the batteries of electric cars once they are no longer usable is very bad.

However, they are said to still be better than diesel cars, which is why many countries are pushing for them to become more prominent all around the world with more and more charging points also becoming accessible in towns and cities.

One of the biggest worries and issues – besides the cost of them and getting charging points in your home – is the mileage anxiety some people can have with electric cars not said to have much charge on them compared to a usual petrol or diesel car.

The days of frantically googling for a charging point halfway on your long journey or just to pop out to the shops could well be a thing of the past if this piece of technology comes into play and is successful.

Cloak technology to help longevity of electric cars

This new piece of kit – which is simply just a cloak – has been designed and invented by researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and to put it plainly is designed to keep cars cool in the summer but warmer in the winter.

When the temperatures are at polar opposites batteries can easily overheat and use more charge than necessary and then when they’re; cold will take excess amounts of power to warm up and get to optimal charge.

Dr Kehang Cui, senior author of the study, has been speaking about how simple this concept is, but also how effective it can be for the environment and electric cars in the future.

“The thermal cloak is like clothes for vehicles, buildings, spacecrafts, or even extraterrestrial habitats to keep cool in summer and warm in winter.”

It’s claimed that the optimum temperature for electric car batteries to work at is between 20 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius, meaning that users can use their cloaks to get their cars near this temperature and ensure they aren’t wasting any time or charge by warming up or cooling down their cars.

Simple technology could help mould the future

It works very easily with the cloak having two layers, an outer and an inner one. The outer layer reflects the sunlight, whereas the inner one traps the heat, ensuring that cars and batteries can stay warm in the winter.

This seems like a very plausible piece of technology that could be a big hit in the near future, but Dr Cui has insisted that ‘we don’t have an estimation on how much the cloak would cost,’ so people will have to wait and see if this kit is value for money.