Austria's EV battery case made with cork, wood beats Tesla in fire test

Researchers at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) in Austria have developed an innovative electric vehicle (EV) battery enclosure that combines thin sheet steel filled with wood, offering a safer and more sustainable alternative to the aluminum cases used by Tesla. Led by Florian Feist, the team created this hybrid structure as part of the Bio!Lib project, aiming to reduce the environmental impact of battery production while enhancing crash safety. The wood core’s cellular structure absorbs energy during crashes, and the steel-wood composite underbody and lid, reinforced with rib-like cross struts, demonstrated crash performance comparable to Tesla’s Model S aluminum battery case in pole crash tests. To improve fire resistance, the researchers incorporated cork as an insulating layer, which chars under extreme heat, reducing thermal conductivity and protecting the vehicle’s interior. In pyrotechnic tests simulating battery fires exceeding 2,372°F (1,300°C), the cork-insulated Bio!Lib enclosure maintained structural integrity and kept the temperature on the protected side about