Objective
Preventing thermal run-away (resulting in fire) of batteries in electrical vehicles which can result from impingement of the protecting battery box during side impact collisions is a critical design consideration for vehicle safety. This challenge requires a careful trade-off between the shock-absorbing capabilities and the lightness of the material to ensure both safety and efficiency in vehicle design. We have developed a new class of mechanical metamaterials that are lightweight and highly dissipative and that outperforms traditional protections for battery boxes by orders of magnitude. The goal of this ERC POC project is to establish metamaterials as a commercially viable solution for a new generation of battery boxes. Our metamaterials will allow to increase the safety of electric vehicles and reduce their CO2 footprint by making them lighter. More broadly, our new generation of metamaterials could potentially be used in aerospace and seismic protection applications, hence paving the way for being the firsts to use mechanical metamaterials in industrial high-tech applications.
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept GrantsHost institution
1012WX Amsterdam
Netherlands