The current electric vehicles (EVs) face many challenges like limited charge capacity, low miles/charge, and long charging times. Herein, these issues are addressed by developing a dual‐function supercapacitor‐based energy‐storing carbon fiber reinforced polymer (e‐CFRP) that can store electrical energy and function as the structural component for the EV's body shell. This is achieved by developing a unique design, vertically aligned graphene sheets attached to carbon fiber electrodes on which different metal oxides are deposited to obtain high‐energy density electrodes. A high‐strength multilayer e‐CFRP assembly is fabricated using an alternate layer patterning configuration of epoxy and polyacrylamide gel electrolyte. The e‐CFRP so developed delivers a high areal energy density of 0.31 mWh cm–2 at 0.3 mm thickness and a high tensile strength of 518 MPa, bending strength of 477 MPa, and impact strength of 2666 J m–1. To show its application in EVs, a toy car's body panel is fabricated with e‐CFRP and the toy car is able to operate using the energy stored in its frame. Moreover, when integrated with a solar cell, this composite powers an Internet of Things device, showing its feasibility in communication satellites.

Renewable energy sources, such as solar energy, could potentially provide an affordable alternative to conventionally generated electricity, especially in locations like the Caribbean which tend to have an abundant solar resource, but also high cost for electricity. Thin film and hybrid solar devices, including Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs), are especially promising energy solutions, due to the low cost of materials and equipment required for their fabrication. In this paper, we investigate the effect of doping titanium dioxide based DSSC photoanodes with lanthanum, cerium, and praseodymium species on the overall performance of the cell, along with results from optimization of the best performing cell formulation according to sintering time and sintering temperature, giving a maximum 39% increase in device efficiency.

As electric vehicles (EVs) are evolving, innovative technologies like “energized composite” that can store energy in the car's body helps extend its range per charge. The composite's unique ability to function as both structural body panel and charge storage medium stems from its unique pattern design between “electrochemical areas (EcA)” and “epoxy area (EpA)”. Herein, a design optimization study is presented to obtain a balanced ratio between EcA versus EpA to maximize the charge storage ability of the composite while maintaining a decent tensile and bending strength. Simulations using ANSYS software and experimental confirmation using universal testing machines and electrochemical analyzers are used to derive optimum ratios between EcA and EpA. Uniaxial tension test and 3‐point bend test have been performed to optimize the tensile and bend strengths, whereas cyclic voltammetry, galvanic charge–discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy are used to determine the electrochemical performance of various design configurations by modulating the ratios of EcA versus EpA. Overall, the highest achieved energy storage per lamina is 2531 mWh m−2 for a maximum of 81.6% EcA with a tensile strength of 417.73 MPa and bending strength of 263.13 MPa. This study is highly beneficial for EVs and aerospace applications.

Energized Composites Energized composites are dual‐function structural components that can store electrical energy and be used to build lightweight body shells of electric vehicles (EVs). They can also be used to make structural components of commercial jets and space vehicles. In article number 2107053, Jayan Thomas and co‐workers address the current challenges by developing a dual‐function supercapacitor‐based energy‐storing carbon fiber reinforced polymer that can store electrical energy and function as the structural component for the EVs' body shell.