Automotive Science and Engineering
Iran University of Science & Technology
Mon, Sep 21, 2026
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Volume 16, Issue 3 (9-2026)
ASE 2026, 16(3): 5133-5160 |
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Sambare A. Bio-Inspired Energy Absorbers for Electric Vehicle Battery Pack Protection: Evolution, Materials, and Future Directions. ASE 2026; 16 (3) :5133-5160
URL: http://ase.iust.ac.ir/article-1-749-en.html
URL: http://ase.iust.ac.ir/article-1-749-en.html
Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Abstract: (759 Views)
Electric vehicle (EV) battery packs positioned beneath the vehicle floor are particularly susceptible to structural damage during side pole impacts, frontal crashes, and rollover events. Conventional energy absorbers including hollow cylinders, square sections, and aluminum foam have historically been designed to manage predominantly axial loading, falling short under the complex, multi-directional force regimes encountered in real-world collisions. This has driven a paradigm shift toward bio-inspired energy absorber geometries that mimic high-performance natural structures such as bamboo hierarchies, bone microarchitectures, skeletal muscle arrangements, and the glass sponge Euplectella aspergillum lattice.
This review systematically traces the evolutionary trajectory of energy absorber design for EV battery protection, from conventional multi-cell configurations through three pillars of biological inspiration plant-inspired, animal-inspired, and microstructure-inspired geometries to advanced hybrid material systems combining aluminum and carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) via structural adhesive bonding. Performance benchmarks are synthesized across multiple loading conditions including axial, lateral, three-point bending, and oblique loading, demonstrating specific energy absorption (SEA) improvements of up to 98.96% under lateral loading and 43.73% under axial loading compared to simple baseline designs. The critical role of additive manufacturing in enabling geometrically complex bio-inspired absorbers is examined, alongside compliance requirements under international standards including SAE J2464, UN ECE R100, and USABC/FreedomCAR. Finally, key research gaps are identified encompassing scalable manufacturing, multi-physics crash-electrochemical coupling, solid-state battery compatibility, and circular economy compliance establishing a roadmap for the next generation of safer, lighter, and more sustainable EV battery containment systems.
This review systematically traces the evolutionary trajectory of energy absorber design for EV battery protection, from conventional multi-cell configurations through three pillars of biological inspiration plant-inspired, animal-inspired, and microstructure-inspired geometries to advanced hybrid material systems combining aluminum and carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) via structural adhesive bonding. Performance benchmarks are synthesized across multiple loading conditions including axial, lateral, three-point bending, and oblique loading, demonstrating specific energy absorption (SEA) improvements of up to 98.96% under lateral loading and 43.73% under axial loading compared to simple baseline designs. The critical role of additive manufacturing in enabling geometrically complex bio-inspired absorbers is examined, alongside compliance requirements under international standards including SAE J2464, UN ECE R100, and USABC/FreedomCAR. Finally, key research gaps are identified encompassing scalable manufacturing, multi-physics crash-electrochemical coupling, solid-state battery compatibility, and circular economy compliance establishing a roadmap for the next generation of safer, lighter, and more sustainable EV battery containment systems.
Keywords: Bio-inspired Energy Absorbers, Carbon fiber reinforced polymers, Specific Energy Absorption, Electric Vehicle Battery
Type of Study: Review |
Subject:
Storage systems (battery, ultracapacitor, flywheel, etc)
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