BENGALURU: A car powered by its own body panels such as roof, doors and bonnet could soon hit the roads, thanks to new lightweight 'supercapacitors' developed by researchers. The 'supercapacitors' can be combined with regular batteries to dramatically boost the power of an electric car.

The supercapacitors - a "sandwich" of electrolyte between two all-carbon electrodes - were made into a thin and extremely strong film with a high power density.  The film could be embedded in a car's body panels, roof, doors, bonnet and floor - storing enough energy to turbocharge an electric car's battery in just a few minutes.

The findings mean a car partly powered by its own body panels could be a reality within five years, PhD researcher Marco Notarianni, from Queensland University of Technology (QUT)'s Science and Engineering Faculty said. "Vehicles need an extra energy spurt for acceleration, and this is where supercapacitors come in. They hold a limited amount of charge, but they are able to deliver it very quickly, making them the perfect complement to mass-storage batteries," he said.

"Supercapacitors offer a high power output in a short time, meaning a faster acceleration rate of the car and a charging time of just a few minutes, compared to several hours for a standard electric car battery," said Notarianni. Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Jinzhang Liu from QUT said currently the "energy density" of a supercapacitor is lower than a standard lithium ion (Li-Ion) battery, but its "high power density," or ability to release power in a short time, is "far beyond" a conventional battery.

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