--- title: "Elon Musk: In Future Teslas, “Structural Battery” Will Be Part of the Car’s Frame" description: "During Tesla's Battery Day event on Tuesday, CEO Elon Musk revealed how batteries could be integrated into the structural elements of the car." date: "2020-09-23" modified: "2020-09-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-tesla-structural-battery-car-frame" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Tesla" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "battery" - "electric cars" - "elon musk" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk: In Future Teslas, “Structural Battery” Will Be Part of the Car’s Frame ![During Tesla's Battery Day event on Tuesday, CEO Elon Musk revealed how batteries could be integrated into the structural elements of the car.]() *\Image: Tesla\* ## Dual Purpose During Tesla's [Battery Day]() event on Tuesday evening, CEO Elon Musk revealed how he plans to integrate batteries into the structural elements of the car. In other words, the batteries themselves could one day serve as internal structures themselves. "All modern airplanes, the fuel tank, your wing is just a fuel tank and wing shaped," Musk said at the event, as [quoted by *TechCrunch*](). "This is absolutely the way to do it. And then the fuel tank serves as dual structure, and it’s no longer cargo." "It’s fundamental to the structure of the aircraft — this was a major breakthrough," he added. "We’re doing the same for cars." ## Honeycomb Sandwich By using batteries to serve a dual purpose as energy storage and structural components, the mass of electric vehicles could be reduced considerably. It could also end up making future Teslas safer, according to Musk. His company has been working on a special glue that can act as both structure and flame retardant, which he described as "basically a honeycomb sandwich with two phase sheets." ## Even Safer Such a structure would make the car structure even stiffer, further improving safety. Battery cells could be moved "closer to the center of the car" as a result, according to the CEO, meaning that piercing the battery — a worst case scenario during a collision — could become less likely. To top it all off, Musk argued, there are in total 370 fewer parts to such a battery design, meaning that manufacturing could be simplified and costs cut in the long run. **READ MORE:** [Future Teslas will have batteries that double as structure, making them extra stiff while improving efficiency, safety and cost]() \[*TechCrunch*\] **More on Tesla:** *[Elon Musk Promises $25000 Tesla by 2023]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()