Tesla: Latest Patent Applications Focus On Vehicle Safety And Improved Energy Storage System

Tesla, the US-based electric vehicle maker, is making a series of big improvements in some key vehicle technology areas. The company has filed a patent for a custom cooling system for longer-lasting energy storage solutions that will help improve the battery packs of its electric vehicles. In addition to that, Tesla is also looking to take vehicle safety to the next level with the latest patent for the new Crash Can structures and new Tesla Crash Lab.

According to reports, the California-based company is looking to develop an improved energy storage system that is capable of lasting a very long time. Such massive improvements in the energy storage side have already been mentioned in a paper released by Tesla lead battery engineer Jeff Dahn. The cell battery described in that released paper is capable of lasting over 1 million miles on the road, or an estimated 20 years when it used in grid energy storage.

Also, in the latest patent application, the company described a battery pack system with regions that are designed to give away when mechanical failures occur. By adopting that new system, the majority of the battery cells in a battery pack become protected even if some battery cells were to fail.

Tesla’s other patent application includes a new Crash Can structure and the new Tesla Crash Lab. The company said that the latest patent for the new Crash Can structure is aimed at improving car safety.

As described in the patent application, the new Crash Can is actually the geometric structure of the vehicle that specifically designed to crumple in the event of a car crash. The design is made up of multi-cell structures which include at least four hollow cuboids. The Crash Can structure is capable of absorbing the energy of the incoming or colliding vehicle. Also included are the designs and photos of crumple test results, which highlight the crucial role of the crumple zone in achieving vehicle safety.

In the newly published patent for “Advanced thin-walled structures for enhanced crash performance," Tesla shared some fresh details about the company’s new Tesla Crash Lab. The newly published patent also includes a video that showed -- in more detail -- the process for running vehicle designs through a series of crash simulations. The goal is to explore and understand the reaction vehicles will have to a wide variety of crash incidents. Together, these two new patent applications represent the first big step in the company’s never-ending push to improve vehicle safety in its Tesla vehicle lineup. Check out the video below to get more about Tesla's new Crash Lab.