[hardflex]

Intriguing idea, body panels become the electric source, no battery weight.

Article with pics is on CNN.com


Lamborghini is working with engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a new all-electric supercar that won't have batteries.
Instead, the body of the Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept car, made from exotic carbon nanotubes, would be used as a supercapacitor. Supercapacitors store and release energy in a manner different from that employed by batteries. They have certain advantages, but also serious disadvantages.
It could be years, if ever, before scientists from MIT and Lamborghini, which is part of the Volkswagen Group (VLKAF), can overcome the downsides. But the effort would be worth it, said Mauricio Reggiani, Lamborghini's head of research and development.
"At the moment, we are really optimistic," he said.
Even the best batteries won't work in a supercar, Reggiani said, because they're too heavy and bulky. If the car used only small batteries, so as not to add too much mass, he said, they would get drained quickly and wouldn't provide peak performance for very long.