Oh, I thought you said flux capacitor ...
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| Science & Technology |
| Battery-ultracapacitor to reduce battery problems |
| 2007-01-26 |
| A secretive Texas startup developing what some are calling a "game changing" energy-storage technology broke its silence this week. It announced that it has reached two production milestones and is on track to ship systems this year for use in electric vehicles. The company boldly claims that its system, a kind of battery-ultracapacitor hybrid based on barium-titanate powders, will dramatically outperform the best lithium-ion batteries on the market in terms of energy density, price, charge time, and safety. Pound for pound, it will also pack 10 times the punch of lead-acid batteries at half the cost and without the need for toxic materials or chemicals, according to the company. The implications are enormous and, for many, unbelievable. Such a breakthrough has the potential to radically transform a transportation sector already flirting with an electric renaissance, improve the performance of intermittent energy sources such as wind and sun, and increase the efficiency and stability of power grids--all while fulfilling an oil-addicted America's quest for energy security. Much like capacitors, ultracapacitors store energy in an electrical field between two closely spaced conductors, or plates. When voltage is applied, an electric charge builds up on each plate. Ultracapacitors have many advantages over traditional electrochemical batteries. Unlike batteries, "ultracaps" can completely absorb and release a charge at high rates and in a virtually endless cycle with little degradation. Where they're weak, however, is with energy storage. Compared with lithium-ion batteries, high-end ultracapacitors on the market today store 25 times less energy per pound. This is why ultracapacitors, with their ability to release quick jolts of electricity and to absorb this energy just as fast, are ideal today as a complement to batteries or fuel cells in electric-drive vehicles. The power burst that ultracaps provide can assist with stop-start acceleration, and the energy is more efficiently recaptured through regenerative braking--an area in which ultracap maker Maxwell Technologies has seen significant results. |
| Posted by:Nimble Spemble |
| #9 old skool pitch..just a sample.. EEStor. "We're the first application, and that's thrilling for us. We took the initial risk because we believed in what they are doing. And energy storage is the game changer." The key challenge, however, is to ensure that the barium-titanate powders can be made on a production line without compromising purity and stability. "Purification gives you better production stability, gives you better permittivity, and gives you the high voltages you're looking for," says Weir. "We've now got the chemicals certified and purified to the point we're looking for." (Better permittivity of the insulator improves the amount of charge that can be stored without letting the current leak across the two plates.) **** Mines, Processes, and Snake oil the old Cons are Legends and True! Good Luck but don't invest just listen and enjoy a few. page 3 @ the link: in the comments--> Further evidences of EEstor's hype! by Roger Pham 1/22/2007 10:41 PM >: |
| Posted by: RD 2007-01-26 19:30 |
| #8 Actually, you have to get to page 3 to get the caveats: "Regarding concerns about temperature, leakage, and ceramic brittleness . . ." The device doesn't work at temps less than -20C (-8F). It also tends to crack under repeated jarring. The cracking might cause several thousand volts to discharge suddenly. As they say in the article "What happens when a vehicle crashes and the device cracks?" Al |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2007-01-26 15:58 |
| #7 The Texas startup they're mentioning is EEStor, Inc. Here is a LINK to an article from late last year. If they can do what they claim, it might change the playing field a bit. |
| Posted by: Chuck Darwin 2007-01-26 15:30 |
| #6 I drive a BS ultra |
| Posted by: RD 2007-01-26 11:39 |
| #5 The problem with capacitors is that they want to discharge near instantly, if they"ve overcome this problem, then they"ve made a real life breakthrough. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2007-01-26 10:45 |
| #4 COOL!!!! Oh, I thought you said flux capacitor ... |
| Posted by: Mizzou Mafia 2007-01-26 08:05 |
| #3 Yep. Has a taste of cold fusion about it. Still, sometimes there really are game changers. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-01-26 07:30 |
| #2 Sceptical in details, hopeful in principle. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-01-26 06:35 |
| #1 Just when Com Ed is going to double our rates in Ill. Oh well... |
| Posted by: 3dc 2007-01-26 00:14 |