Ultracapacitors Vital To 48 Volt Mild Hybrid Systems

While the automotive world is focused on lithium ion batteries that can power a car for 200, 300, or more miles, some companies are focusing on so-called mild hybrids. Those are cars that use a 48 volt system. Instead of an electric motor integrated with the transmission, most of them employ an alternator that can double as an electric motor to help move a car forward from rest. The first few hundred feet after a dead stop contribute a disproportionate amount of carbon dioxide emissions, compared to operating at a steady rate of speed on the highway.

Christian Schaefer, global director of advanced electrical and electronic architectures at Delphi, told a conference for engineers at the Frankfurt auto show last fall, “From our experience and our discussions with European OEMs, we have seen between 7 and 10 percent reductions in CO2 emissions from the current test fleet with today’s 48-volt alternators, which have a nominal power of between 10 and 12 kW. For the next generation with up to 20 kW, we expect that we could increase the CO2 reduction to 15%.”

The principal reason to consider a mild hybrid system is because it can provide a significant decrease in emissions for about 1/4 to 1/3 the cost of a full hybrid system. 48 volt systems have other potential benefits as well. Many of the auxiliary systems on today’s cars — from stop/start and infotainment systems to power steering  and coolant pumps — can operate on 48 volt electrical systems. Air conditioning compressors can be powered by electricity as well. That means the conventional internal combustion engine needs to do less work to run all those peripherals.

Many manufacturers like Audi and Volvo are incorporating electric turbochargers into their cars as well. They can spool up to operating speed much quicker than a turbo can, which improves performance without increasing emissions. Finally, electronically adjustable suspensions are coming to many new cars. They can be operated efficiently using 48 volt power without putting extra demands on the engine.

One of the vital components to all those electrical accessories are ultracapcitors. A battery stores electricity through a chemical reaction. While it can produce high power, the chemistry takes time to respond to demands. An ultracapacitor can deliver high power and accept a high rate of charge in a much shorter time, making it ideal for active suspensions, regenerative braking systems, and stop/start technology.

Maxwell Technologies is a leader in making ultracapacitors for automotive uses. General Motors recently selected a stop/start system manufactured by Continental Automotive Systems that uses Maxwell ultracapacitors for its 2016 2016 ATS and CTS sedans and ATS coupes. Maxwell ultracapacitors are already in use in over a million Citroen and Peugeot automobiles and have proven to give long, troublefree service in demanding applications.

As autonomous driving technology becomes more common, additional uses for ultracapacitors from Maxwell Technologies will be found. Such systems will rely on the high degree of reliability that Maxwell products are known for.

Stop-start problems could lead to rise of ultracapacitors

The proliferation of start-stop systems in today's cars and trucks is pretty simple to explain. With these systems, manufacturers have an easy, mostly unobtrusive way of boosting a vehicle's fuel economy. As with just about anything though, there are drawbacks to modern start-stop tech.

In particular, they're not great when paired with today's lead-acid batteries. These batteries limit the ability of the start-stop function to operate based on factors like charge level and temperature. If the battery is outside the parameters, the stop-start system won't function, curbing any potential fuel economy gains. Obviously, this problem will only become more noticeable as the battery ages.

Ultracapacitors could solve this problem, though, according to a new report from Ward's Auto. Becauseultracapacitors can be cycled rapidly and they can store quite a lot of energy – they don't function via chemical reactions, like standard batteries – they could handle the stop-start duties when the battery isn't up to snuff.

There are other applications for the high-powered capacitors too, including regenerative braking functions, where their ability to harness energy can really be taken advantage of. Ward's has a great breakdown of the pros and cons in a fairly extensive feature on the future of this potentially big automotive technology.

News Source: Ward's Auto

Image Credit: AndyArmstrong/Flickr - CC 2.0

EEStor Hits Snag as Independent Ultracapacitor Tests Don’t Go Well

Despite the Claims, the EEStor Powered Vehicle Will Likely Never Become Reality

I’ll be upfront and truthful by saying it’s my personal belief that there’s no light at the end of the tunnel for ZENN or EEStor, but others certainly disagree.

ZENN

Therefore, I’ll present this post without my beliefs interfering.

Here goes…

ZENN Press Release

That sure was easy.  No bias from me there.

Source: ZENN via Green Car Congress

Graphene Supercapacitors Offer Blistering Performance and Charge in a Couple of Minutes

Researchers at the University of California are developing graphene supercapacitors that can charge and discharge in a couple of minutes. The ability to discharge in a couple of minutes means that they are extremely powerful. More importantly though, these researchers developed a technique for printing graphene supercapacitors using a DVD burner.

The researchers dissolved graphite oxide in water and heated it with a laser from a standard DVD burner to obtain flexible graphene sheets. These graphene sheets are one-atom thick, yet can hold a remarkable amount of energy, while being charged or discharged in very little time compared to standard batteries.

Ultracapacitors have tremendous advantages over typical lithium-ion batteries, some of which are of paramount importance to the adoption of electric cars, such as their ability to charge in as little as 1 second, and last 20 years (easily, and with very heavy usage). While this technology could mean ever-smaller handheld electronic devices, the real beneficiaries could be electric cars. If supercapactiors replace batteries as the primary energy storage method on EVs, it could mean much faster charge times, and much longer range. This graphene sheet method could also make EVs a lot more affordable, thanks to this cost-effective method.

Will supercapacitors save the electric car?

Source: Science Daily

EnerSys and Ioxus partner to combine batteries and ultracaps; select automotive markets

Battery-maker EnerSys and ultracapacitor-maker Ioxus Inc. have entered a joint product development and marketing agreement under which the two will develop and market new products that leverage the strengths and benefits of combining EnerSys battery technologies with Ioxus ultracapacitor technology.

The EnerSys and Ioxus’ cooperation will focus on creating products to address regenerative braking and energy recovery in the material handling markets, and other major markets, including the UPS bridge to generator markets, the automotive and heavy truck critical and cold start markets, and the energy storage/power conditioning markets.

The combination of EnerSys battery technology with Ioxus ultracapacitor technology will benefit many vertical markets in need of high-performance, extended energy storage life under harsh environmental conditions, including select automotive markets.

—Mark McGough, CEO of Ioxus

We are pleased to be working with Ioxus, the up-and-coming leader in the ultracapacitor field. This partnership further enhances the solutions EnerSys provides to our global customers. By utilizing the unique performance of the Ioxus ultracapacitors with the broad portfolio of EnerSys products, we expect to dramatically expand the markets we compete in. Additional benefits users can expect are in both stand alone and hybrid applications.

—John Gagge, Vice President of EnerSys America’s Reserve Power Sales and Service

DARPA Awards $1.7M Contract to Maxwell Technologies to Develop Advanced Mobile Energy Storage Devices

Maxwell Technologies, Inc. has been awarded a $1.7-million technology development contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the initial phase of a multi-phase program to develop a energy storage system combining an advanced ultracapacitor module, an advanced battery pack and power management electronics.

The target application is a lighter, longer-lasting, energy source for field radios and other portable electronic equipment carried by military personnel.

Maxwell will lead a team including the US Navy and the University of Massachusetts. The goal of the program is to develop an enhanced energy source that will provide extended run time and longer operational life than existing batteries alone, thereby reducing the requirement to carry heavy, bulky, spare batteries. To ensure that field military personnel are energy self-sufficient during extended missions, they typically carry primary and spare batteries weighing more than 60 pounds to power a growing assortment of portable electronic equipment.

This is an exciting opportunity to leverage Maxwell’s energy storage technology expertise and development resources with external funding and other team members’ resources and expertise to accelerate development of very promising next generation energy storage technology. This program will further demonstrate the synergy between batteries and ultracapacitors, and, more importantly, lead to improved energy storage solutions to support the effectiveness and safety of our armed forces personnel.

—David Schramm, Maxwell’s president and CEO

The award provides funding for an initial, one-year phase, with options for two additional phases which, when approved, would result in total funding of up to approximately $8 million.

Source: Green Car Congress

EEStor CEO Dick Weir Leaks Information Concerning Their EESU

The ZENN NEV



Have you heard this yet? An audio interview with Dick Weir was leaked onto the Internet briefly and here are some of the highlights:

• EEStor's contract with ZENN is for energy units that cost "$100 / kWh, excluding electronics." This is very cheap, and Weir says that, "nobody is going to compete with us. Certainly not lithium ion."
• EEStor has produced "tens of thousands of grams" of the powder needed for the EESUs, what Weir calls "a huge amount."
• A company called Polarity, in California, is building the circuits that will be used in the ZENN cars. Polarity is making circuits for "other customers," but ZENN gets them first.
• EEStor is "dealing a lot with people in the electrical vehicle business."
• "I'm really in deep with Lockheed Martin. And here's what Lockheed Martin told everybody: 'We can't guarantee this works but we can't find reason why it won't work.'"
• Weir believes EEStor will be "the greatest capacitor company in the world"
• Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers owns about 20 percent of EEStor, and EEStor's founders still have a controlling interest in the company.
• ZENN's next investment round will be around $75-$80 million.
• Weir said that his EESU's will help buffer the U.S. electric grid in a big way. "Not only are we going to give the electric vehicle market a boost but also give them the energy to run it... We make wind and solar real. If you take our batteries and those with wind and solar, what you do is amortize out the variations and make it highly stablized. You can make a wind farm look just like a coal fired plant with our batteries. And make it very cost effective."

If EEStor can bring to market this EESU product as it is being touted, then it will certainly be a game changer. Having a vehicle with this technology in your garage immediately obviates the need for gasoline. We want one!