Lola-Drayson all electric Le Mans prototype

The major partnership between Lola and Drayson to build an electric powered LMP (Le Mans Prototype) car was announced in July.



The Lola Drayson all-electric sports car will be the fastest electric powered race car to lap a circuit. Showcasing technology such as inductive charging, composite battery power, moveable aerodynamics and electrical regenerative damping, the B12/69EV will be one of the most advanced zero emission competition cars to have run.



BAE Systems Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) will be developing 'multi-functional materials' for integration into the vehicle. These multi-functional materials combine the structural strength of composites with the ability to store electrical energy able to power onboard electronic devices and systems. Research activity has already successfully demonstrated the ability to amalgamate standard battery chemistries with composites to create a Structural Battery.



This novel and innovative multi-functional material is manufactured in the same way as normal composites and can be shaped into complex 3D structures. Unlike concepts that embed traditional batteries into structures, BAE Systems structural power capability uses patented technologies to incorporate the chemicals that batteries contain directly into composites. The integration of energy storage into structural elements also provides notable weight savings over traditional solutions.



Currently energy densities - the amount of energy stored per unit of weight - that have been demonstrated are comparable to existing traditional commercial vehicle batteries. Further development of the technology will continue to push the energy storage density available.



The exploitation of Structural Battery technologies within the defence environment can be used to reduce or remove the need for batteries across a wide range of applications. The material could be used in virtually anything that requires electrical power, from small electronic devices in a soldier's kit, to a complete vehicle. This will provide potentially significant benefits to military platforms and equipment, making them lighter in many instances and reducing the logistical footprint associated with supplying batteries to the frontline.



For the Lola Drayson B12/69EV, Structural Battery technology offers the opportunity to house power for some onboard electronic systems within the structure, allowing the main batteries to be dedicated to propelling the car. We are working in partnership with Lola's engineering teams to develop the manufacturing processes and techniques to scale the capability from existing laboratory demonstrators to meet the structural and power requirements for large scale applications.



For more attend Electric Vehicles Land Sea Air USA 2012 , where a large number of electric vehicle manufacturers not seen in conventional EV events will present including WheelTug aircraft electrification, MotoVolta, LLC motorbikes, SolTrac farm tractors, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Bay Aquarium Research Institute Autonomous Underwater Vehicles AUVs and manufacturers of industrial, commercial, military, e-bike, cars and other EVs.



Also read Electric Vehicle Traction Batteries 2011-2021 and Electric Motors for Electric Vehicles 2012-2022.