Volvo, like many other car manufacturers, has been playing around in the electric vehicle world for years now. Heavy batteries have played as an obstacle at times for electric vehicles because they are just so heavy and expensive. Now Volvo, along with nine other companies, has announced a plan that could aid in this problem and revolutionize the design of electric vehicles.

After three and a half years of research studies, Volvo wants to replace some of the steel body panels with carbon fiber, that can also store power like batteries do. This will trim body mass while it maximizing interior volume at the same time. These body panels could offer as much as a 15% weight reduction. Their findings also show that the body panels are capable of charging faster than conventional batteries.