With some incremental improvements (which are already happening), this could become very practical and it wouldn't be surprising if in the near future we saw some electric buses
using ultracapacitors instead of heavier and more expensive chemical batteries.
At Tesla, Elon has overseen product development and design from the beginning, including the all electric Tesla Roadster, Model S and Model X. Transitioning to a sustainable energy economy, in which electric vehicles play a pivotal role, has been one of his central interests for almost two decades, stemming from his time as a physics student working on
ultracapacitors in Silicon Valley.
At MIT researchers are working to replace conventional batteries
with ultracapacitors, which can be recharged far more quickly and last more than 10 years (see story # 92, «Capacitors Could Replace Batteries»).
Eventually, the so - called
ultracapacitors on which the XH - 150 is based may supplant rather than merely supplement a car's batteries.
Energy storage devices
called ultracapacitors could lower the cost of the battery packs in plug - in hybrid vehicles by hundreds or even thousands of dollars by cutting the size of the packs in half, according to estimates by researchers at Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, IL.
Mark Verbrugge, director of the materials and processes lab at GM, says that of the two uses
for ultracapacitors, it will be easier to use them in microhybrids.
In a deal announced today, Maxwell Technologies said it will be working with the United States Advanced Battery Consortium to develop a
hybrid ultracapacitor / lithium - ion battery for non-electric cars.
European
ultracapacitor manufacturer Skeleton Technologies received a $ 4 - million (US$ 4.4 - million) investment from KIC InnoEnergy, an investment company dedicated to promoting sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship in Europe's energy industry.
There are concerns that exotic polymer -
based ultracapacitors might not have the longevity of today's carbon systems.
The company supplied its start - stop designs to Continental AG in 2010, and has since
supplied ultracapacitors to PSA and General Motors for start - stop applications and autonomous driving backup power, and to Lamborghini for regenerative braking.
His team succeeded in producing a porous
ultracapacitor material that approached the performance of a nanotube device but potentially at a fraction of the cost.
Such nanotube designs are expensive, and in general
ultracapacitor capacity is still not enough to put the Gigafactory in jeopardy — but that might not be the point.
Cadillac employs a voltage stabilization system powered
by ultracapacitors to re-start the engine.
Ultracapacitors offer a way to extend the life of a hybrid vehicle's power source, reducing the need to oversize its battery packs.
Using
ultracapacitor energy storage to further reduce life cycle costs, this next - generation hybrid bus has achieved Ultra Low Emission Bus certification with 37 % lower greenhouse gas... Read more →
While currently the electric charge stored per weight of graphene is similar to
existing ultracapacitors, computer modeling suggests it may be possible to double this capacity.
Unlike a conventional trolley bus that has to continually touch an overhead power line, Sinautec's
ultracapacitor buses take big sips of electricity every two or three miles at designated charging stations, which double as bus stops.
In addition to improved lithium ion batteries that use nanotechnology, a number of battery alternatives are slowly coming to market,
including ultracapacitors and fuel cells.
We know that Elon Musk toyed with a PhD
studying ultracapacitors before quitting for his first Silicon Valley start - up.
The battery in a cellphone or electric car is designed for 1000 charge - discharge cycles, whereas even Dichtel's
experimental ultracapacitor was stable for at least 10 times as many cycles.
William Dichtel, a chemist at Northwestern University, Chicago, has developed polymer networks called covalent organic frameworks to work directly in
ultracapacitors without needing pyrolysis.
«We do not ever
expect ultracapacitors to be the primary energy storage device in an electric vehicle,» says Cooley.
Ultracapacitors connected to local government office buildings have proved able to compensate for changes in frequency of the electricity supply within a fraction of a second.
For example, the cheaper, more
powerful ultracapacitors under development by FastCAP Systems, another ARPA — E awardee, are intended to «finally make hybrid vehicles cost - effective,» says Riccardo Signorelli, founder and president of the fledgling company.
AFS Trinity Power in Bellevue, Washington, recently displayed a modified hybrid SUV that uses
ultracapacitors alongside batteries and an internal combustion engine, and major manufacturers such as Honda and Toyota have also been experimenting with the technology.
Rod Ruoff, a physical chemist at the University of Texas at Austin and cofounder of a spin - off company, Graphene Energy, says even the firm's first experimental model rivaled the best
available ultracapacitors in energy storage.
The downside is that
ultracapacitors hold only a fraction as much energy as a comparable - size battery.
>> The authors note that this new ability to charge and discharge lithium - ion >> batteries within seconds blurs the distinction between batteries and
>> ultracapacitors,
The module, which consists of
several ultracapacitors and a power - conversion board, can supply about 10 - 12 kW of power when needed.
Maxwell Technologies» recent contract win to supply Zhejiang Geely with a
complete ultracapacitor module for use in mild - hybrid vehicles marks a turning point both for the company and the advanced energy - storage technology.
Maxwell ultracapacitors have been in use in stop - start systems from supplier Continental since 2010 and in vehicles from PSA Group and General Motors.
Feel Good Cars has worldwide exclusive rights to purchase EEStor's new Energy Storage Unit — a high - power - density
ceramic ultracapacitor — for the small vehicle market and golf carts (up to 100 HP and 1,200 kg curb weight).
That's the promise of energy - storage devices known
as ultracapacitors, but at present, they can store only about 5 percent as much
Dozens of ideas have been tried and found wanting, including flywheels, compressed air, pumping water uphill, and
mammoth ultracapacitors.