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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
 Posted - 09/01/2007 : 04:35:32
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I made a post some months ago about the phenomenal claims of the reclusive company named EEStor, which claims to have developed a supercapacitor with such energy density, quick charging, inexpensive manufacture, and environmental friendliness that it would qualify as a tremendous breakthrough for powering everything from heart pacemakers through electric cars, to locomotives.
For you electronics geeks, here's one sample claim: | In a traditional ultracap, that permittivity is given a rating of 20 to 30, while EEStor's claim is 18,500 or more--a phenomenal number by most accounts. "This is a very big step for us," says Weir. "This puts me well onto the road of meeting high-volume production." |
The supercapacitor is supposed to use a pure barium-titanate dielectric that makes it capable of storing more energy than the best lithium batteries, and ten times the energy of lead-acid batteries.
| EEStor claims that, using an automated production line and existing power electronics, it will initially build a 15-kilowatt-hour energy-storage system for a small electric car weighing less than 100 pounds, and with a 200-mile driving range. The vehicle, the company says, will be able to recharge in less than 10 minutes. |
If this is not a pipe-dream, or a hoax like the Orbo, I suspect it will indeed make the electric car common within a few years.
EEStor claims it has solved its production challenges. EEStor now has a contract with Zenn Cars, a small electric car company, to provide a battery-replacement system this year.
A better energy storage system, be it flywheel, battery, supercapacitor, fuel cell, or something else, would be a key requirement for a rapid abandonment of the internal combustion engine.
For the EEStor capacitor, it'll either be boom or bust, and soon. Then we'll know if this is the Big Breakthrough, or just another chimera.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
Edited by - HalfMooner on 09/01/2007 05:51:46
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26021 Posts |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 09/01/2007 : 08:55:16 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dave W.
The older thread. It's the charging time that's still unbelievable.
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Thanks for the link.
I suspect it would require a stationary charging device that would itself contain a supercapacitor. That would charge up slowly from house current, then provide a quick, high-voltage, high current zap to charge a car's capacitor. Jeeze, I hope this isn't vaporware.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26021 Posts |
Posted - 09/01/2007 : 12:54:44 [Permalink]
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That's what I was talking about in the older thread: the need for a big charging system in one's home to be able to charge up the car in ten minutes.
The charging system would need to store as much power as the car system, so it would have to be at least as big. A hundred pounds. And it'll take that thing something like eight hours to charge up on U.S. house current. I can drive 200 miles in less than four hours, though. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 09/01/2007 : 13:17:31 [Permalink]
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Sorry I hadn't yet reviewed the previous thread, Dave. That must have been where I got the thought for the big charger. Logically, it's pretty much a requirement, though.
This is going to be interesting. It seems that little Zenn (for "zero emissions, no noise) Cars has bet the farm on EEStor's delivery of the supercaps, and won't even have much money for manufacturing left over. So they better have some prototypes up and running pronto, and into the hands of reviewers and investment writers. Of course, if they can do that, they will get plenty investment dough for expansion, as the have an exclusive for manufacturing both tiny and subcompact EEStor-powered cars.
EEStor, for their part, with plenty of VC money. has been staying out of the public limelight, and acting like a company with, well, a real breakthrough, or at least a company that thinks it has one, rather than acting like the Irish company that "invented" the infamous Orbo. If they're fooling anyone, it's themselves first.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 12/24/2008 : 11:33:44 [Permalink]
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The Electric Energy Storage Unit (the "EESU") has not materialized, but I think you will get a kick out of Scotsman Ian Clifford's plaintive holiday song on YouTube about it.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Update on EEStor's supercapacitor
