Skip to main content

Volvo’s new bodylines are literally electrifying, as it develops battery body panels

Batteries suck. They are big, heavy, not very environmentally friendly to produce, and very expensive. But unless hydrogen cars become ubiquitous, we are stuck with them. Or are we?

Volvo has just come with a technically complex but incredibly intuitive solution; mold the batteries into the body and frame of the car. This has tremendous advantages in increasing the total storage capacity of the car while simultaneously making it much lighter.

Recommended Videos

The technology behind this development is staggering, and would take someone with degrees in materials science, electrical engineering, and possibly theoretical physics to understand and explain properly. I have a JD and haven’t taken a science class since freshmen year of college so bear with me.

On Volvo's experimental S80, the panels replace the 12 volt electrical system
On Volvo’s experimental S80, the panels replace the 12 volt electrical system Image used with permission by copyright holder

Layers of polymer resin are sandwiched between carbon fiber, to create a super-capacitor.  The carbon fiber layers are charged as conductors and the resin acts as a neutrally charged dielectric.

These millimeter thin capacitors are then molded into carbon fiber body panels. Such capacitors have a much higher energy density than typical lithium-ion batteries and are capable of much quicker recharge.

To top it all off, Volvo estimates that if these materials were used throughout the car in place of a steel frame and body panels the vehicle’s weight could be reduced by as much as 15%. This makes sense, because as we know from supercar manufacturers the use of carbon fiber makes anything at least 28 percent more awesome.

Now that’s a technology Nikola Tesla would be proud of.

Currently Volvo is running tests with one of their S80s, on which the trunk and plenum/rally bar have been replaced with the new energy storage panels. These two alone are enough to run the cars entire 12-volt electrical system.

The bad news is that it has taken Volvo three years to get this far, and the technology development is not what anyone not named Bill Gates would call cheap. There is no way of knowing for sure that this technology will be technically or economically viable, but the benefits are clearly there to see.

The 85 kW-h battery back in the excellent Tesla Model S weighs around 1300 pounds, and has to be this heavy to achieve its EPA rated range of 265 miles. That’s the same effective energy density as a 30mpg car would get from 75 pounds of gasoline. Now some of that weight is made up for by the fact that the Tesla isn’t hauling around an engine block, but still the problem is there to see.

If you want to go further, the batteries get bigger and heavier meaning you need still more of them to carry the increased weight. This is called a negative spiral, Volvo’s technology offers a positive spiral in which reduced weight of batteries means you need fewer and fewer of them as the vehicle gets lighter.

Lastly the fact that Volvo is making this technology reassures me. Volvo engineers are pathologically obsessed with safety, to the point where their stated goal is to have statistically zero fatalities involving Volvo cars by the year 2020. This makes me think that if they go forward with the technology you aren’t likely to be electrocuted opening your door, or burst into flame when you outwit the safety features and run into a post

Peter Braun
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Peter is a freelance contributor to Digital Trends and almost a lawyer. He has loved thinking, writing and talking about cars…
Toyota unveils 2026 bZ: A smarter, longer-range electric SUV
toyota bz improved bz4x 2026 0007 1500x1125

Toyota is back in the electric SUV game with the 2026 bZ, a major refresh of its bZ4X that finally delivers on two of the biggest demands from EV drivers: more range and faster charging.
The headline news is the improved driving range. Toyota now estimates up to 314 miles on a single charge for the front-wheel-drive model with the larger 74.7-kWh battery—about 60 miles more than the outgoing bZ4X. All-wheel-drive variants also get a boost, with up to 288 miles of range depending on trim.
Charging speeds haven’t increased in terms of raw kilowatts (still capped at 150 kW for DC fast charging), but Toyota has significantly improved how long peak speeds are sustained. With preconditioning enabled—especially helpful in colder weather—the new bZ can charge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Also new: Plug and Charge support for automatic payment at compatible stations and full adoption of the North American Charging Standard (NACS), meaning access to Tesla Superchargers will be standard by 2026.
Under the hood, or rather the floor, Toyota has swapped in higher-performance silicon carbide components to improve efficiency and power delivery. The AWD version now produces up to 338 horsepower and sprints from 0–60 mph in a brisk 4.9 seconds.
Toyota didn’t stop at just the powertrain. The exterior has been cleaned up, with body-colored wheel arches replacing the black cladding, and a sleeker front fascia. Inside, a larger 14-inch touchscreen now houses climate controls, giving the dash a more refined and less cluttered appearance. There’s also more usable storage thanks to a redesigned center console.
With the 2026 bZ, Toyota seems to be responding directly to critiques of the bZ4X. It’s faster, more efficient, and more driver-friendly—finally bringing Toyota’s EV efforts up to speed.

Read more
Cheaper EVs ahead? GM and LG say new battery cells are the key
2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV front quarter view.

General Motors and LG Energy Solution have announced a new phase in their ongoing partnership: developing a new battery cell chemistry that could significantly lower the cost of electric vehicles. The joint effort centers on lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) battery cells, a variation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) that’s gaining popularity for being more affordable and less reliant on expensive materials like nickel and cobalt.

This is a big deal because battery costs are still the single largest expense in producing EVs. According to GM and industry experts, LMFP cells could help bring the cost of electric vehicles close to — or even on par with — gas-powered cars. The goal? Making EVs accessible to a broader range of drivers without sacrificing range or performance.

Read more
Waymo recalled 1,200 robotaxis following collisions with road barriers
Waymo Jaguar I-Pace

Waymo’s autonomous-car technology has made great advances over the years to the point where it’s now allowed to offer paid robotaxi rides in select locations in the U.S.

But the development of the technology is ongoing, and the robotaxi rides continue to gather valuable data for Waymo engineers to pore over as they further refine the driverless system to make it as reliable and efficient as possible. Which is why glitches will sometimes occur.

Read more