Today's supercapacitors are being used to replace rechargeable batteries in applications such as electric/hybrid vehicles, wearables, and more.
Supercapacitors, ultracapacitors, or "supercaps" exist between capacitors and batteries in terms of storage capability, and like batteries, they have the ability to release energy slowly. Unlike batteries, supercapacitors can charge in seconds, without capacity degradation like rechargeable batteries.
They can endure virtually unlimited charge cycles, have been in volume production as power energy storage cells since 1996, and are poised for high growth as the technology approaches the energy density of batteries. They also have a very long lifetime, irrespective of numerous charge cycles.
Today's supercapacitors are being used to replace rechargeable batteries in applications such as electric/hybrid vehicles, wearables, and more. (Source: Mouser)
Supercapacitors have greater energy density than common capacitors, but less energy density than batteries. You can theoretically replace batteries with supercapacitors, but replacing an entire bank of batteries for the Tesla Model S with supercapacitors would take up too much volume.
For electric cars, supercapacitors have a place in start/stop systems, engine assist, and in charging stations. Supercaps also perform basic functions such as soaking up high current transients for batteries, which can increase battery life but come at the cost of higher design complexity and greater space requirements.
Although supercaps are in use, batteries are the mainstay for electric vehicles in the near-term due to superior storage density. To encourage more electric vehicles in the market, Tesla Motors has opened its battery patents to everyone. Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that this was done "in the spirit of the open source movement, for the advancement of electric vehicle technology."
Musk goes on to say, "Technology leadership is not defined by patents, which history has repeatedly shown to be small protection indeed against a determined competitor, but rather by the ability of a company to attract and motivate the world’s most talented engineers. We believe that applying the open source philosophy to our patents will strengthen rather than diminish Tesla’s position in this regard."
Tesla has been enormously successful in producing a long-range electric vehicle, and supercapacitors are used to charge a Tesla vehicle in less than an hour at the Tesla supercharging stations, making longer trips possible.
To continue reading more of this article, including the next section on "Supercapacitor Fundamentals," see the original article Supercapacitors: A New Hero in the Spotlight on Design News.