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No they don't. Researchers propose they (the carmakers) do.

I can't even imagine the maintenance or repair considerations of a pack that's embedded inside of the frame or a monocoque chassis.

Lastly this isn't even an Ars article, it's from Wired. It really is a terrible click-bait headline. The article, imho isn't much better.

discuss

ethbr0|5 years ago

Stressed skin [0,1] is great for saving weight and enhancing rigidity.

It's terrible for repairability, and with regards to power sources... safety.

This is a bunch of researchers solving the wrong optimization problem. You'll likely see it in Formula E, but under no circumstances should it be in production, mass-produced cars.

[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_25

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLaren_MP4/1

toomuchtodo|5 years ago

Tesla is moving to this architecture.

https://cleantechnica.com/2020/10/10/teslas-new-structural-b... (Tesla’s New Structural Battery Pack — It’s Not Cell-to-Pack, It’s Cell-to-Body)

freshpots|5 years ago

Not quite. You should read the article as they call out Tesla in particular for not doing so.

Qwertious|5 years ago

No they aren't. Normally you have battery cells (think AAs) -> battery pack -> vehicle trunk, and they're skipping the middle step. It's analogous to how planes have a "wing-shaped fuel tank" (where the wings just have a cavity that you pour the fuel into), instead of storing fuel fluid containers that are separate to the plane.

What OP's link is describing, is where the battery cells literally are the vehicle trunk - as in they're built into the walls, instead of being contained between two walls.

unknown|5 years ago

[deleted]

jjulius|5 years ago

> No they don't. Researchers propose they (the carmakers) do.

Yes they do. The first paragraph of this article discusses Elon Musk talking about integrating this into Teslas.

phkahler|5 years ago

It's also important for cells in a pack to have the same size. Making a bunch of arbitrary sized body parts would to the opposite.

marshray|5 years ago

Well, the cells don't need to be the same size if they each have their own charge controller.

colinmcdermott|5 years ago

> Lastly this isn't even an Ars article

Gizmodo stylee