Nissan's future: Self-charging EVs

One of Nissan's EV concepts

Imagine a range extended electric vehicle, similar to the Chevy Volt, but without the gas. Instead, of using an engine to generate extra electricity, an onboard ultracapacitor would extend the range of the EV.

It might sound a little futuristic, and it is, but that is exactly one such plan that Nissan is working on as it seeks to become the leader in the electrification of the automobile according to Nissan's Minoru Shinohara, senior vice president of technology development.

And, according to Greentechmedia, Shinohara's views are not to be taken lightly.

Supercapacitors: Hybrid vehicle turbo-chargers?

Would you like to supercharge that?

Recently, Lotus indicated the possibility of a supercapacitor-powered mild hybrid, something many automakers are exploring. Today, supercapacitors are too expensive for hybrid cars, but one can easily imagine lithium-powered mild hybrids with a few small supercapacitors to assist highway acceleration or hill climbing, for example, entering the hybrid fray one day.

To prepare for this possibility, IEC is preparing technical standards.

"Although the energy density of capacitors is quite low compared to batteries, their excellent power characteristics are their main value—providing ‘bursts’ of electric energy that can help these new generation of cars to accelerate at comparable or better rates than traditional petrol-only engine vehicles, while achieving a significantly reduced fuel consumption," stated Dr. Peter Van den Bossche, IEC project leader from the Erasmus University College in Brussels, Belgium

Are supercaps the key to hybrid technology?

Ultrabattery: Lead acid + supercaps

A couple of weeks ago I wrote Hybrid Cars: Is plugging in always the best option. One angle I took with that article involved supercapacitors. Essentially, I wondered whether a combination of a supercapacitor and a battery could result in cheaper (compared to plug-ins), incredibly fuel efficient hybrid vehicles that don't need to be plugged in for power.

That's the idea behind the Ultrabattery, except for one interesting difference. Read more....

Dude, that hybrid got an ultracapacitor?

Ultracapacitor-lithium powered hybrids coming soon?

Maxwell Technologies, Inc. and Tianjin Lishen Battery Joint-Stock Co., Ltd., China's leading producer of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, today announced a partnership to develop "hybrid" energy storage products combining ultracapacitor and li-ion battery technologies.

"We believe that the products we envision will give end-users the best of both worlds in terms of the long cycle life, rapid charge/discharge characteristics and low temperature performance of ultracapacitors and the large energy storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries," said David Schramm, Maxwell's president and chief executive officer.

Just another example of the adaptability of hybrid vehicles.

Nano-engineered hybrid battery breakthrough?

Printable batteries?

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York State have developed a nano-engineered battery that is paper thin and can be cut, folded, rolled or molded, without losing its molecular integrity.

"As well as outputting low amounts of energy steadily over a long period, the mechanism can also be built as a supercapacitor, emitting a massive burst of energy in less than a second. And a completely new invention, a hybrid device, can do both. Potential applications for the new battery and supercapacitor device include hybrid cars," reports CNN.

Because of the device's thin, malleable nature, it could be incorporated into seats, door panels, etc., freeing up the space where batteries are normally placed in hybrid vehicles.

While the materials are cheap, there is not yet a way to mass produce these batteries. Let's hope that changes.

"When we get this technology down, we'll basically have the ability to print batteries and print supercapacitors," said Pulickel M. Ajayan, professor of materials science and engineering at Rensselaer, one of the co-authors of the paper.

Mercedes to develop hybrids with ultracapacitors

Mercedes partners with Maxwell Technologies on ultracapacitors

Over the last year or two, there has been much talk about ultracapacitors and hybrid cars. And, in just the last couple of weeks, ZENN Motors stated that EEStor's - a ZENN partner - ultracapacitor breakthrough could make internal combustion engines "unnecessary".

Essentially, ultracapacitors help with both energy storage and power delivery, and they could ultimately replace both batteries and internal combustion engines - a development ZENN and EEStor claim is at hand.

Maxwell Technologies, however, is doubtful of the ZENN claim. Maxwell has spent far more money on ultracapacitors than EEStor and ZENN and is a pretty reliable critic on the matter. Still, a good idea isn't always expensive, and it is possible that EEStor has achieved something amazing.

Thus, Maxwell isn't waiting around. Just today, Maxwell announced that it will help Mercedes develop an advanced hybrid powertrain that will utilize ultracapacitors.

"David Schramm, Maxwell's president and chief executive officer, said that the contract provides for funding from Mercedes to develop a new BOOSTCAP® ultracapacitor cell specifically designed to meet the energy storage and power delivery requirements of one of Mercedes' torque assist and recuperative braking systems."

The end of the internal combustion engine - ZENN Motors?

ZENN ready to shock the world, literally?

When I was at HybridFest, one of the most interesting vehicles on display was this little electric vehicle from ZENN. Still, it was hard to imagine that such a tiny vehicle could be successful.

Well, what if it achieved 500 miles of electric energy with just a 5 minute charge? What if it meant the end of ALL electrochemical batteries? The end of gasoline?

That's the claim being made by EEStor and one of its main funders and partners ZENN Motor Co.

“It’s a paradigm shift,” said Ian Clifford, chief executive of Toronto-based ZENN Motor Co., which has licensed EEStor’s invention according to MSNBC. “The Achilles’ heel to the electric car industry has been energy storage. By all rights, this would make internal combustion engines unnecessary.”

Yes, there are oodles and oodles of skeptics, and with the tiny budget EEStor has functioned upon so far with, it wouldn't be surprising to find out the hype is just a stab at raising much needed funds. Of course, if ZENN and EEStor are real, the world is on the verge of an almost incomprehensible revolution.

Where is my ultracapacitor-powered vehicle?

Dude, where is your ultracapacitor?

I love the term 'ultracapacitor'. It's just too easy to hear Scotty telling Captain Kirk that the ultracapacitors just don't seem to be working correctly.

Yet, ultracapacitors aren't just some Star Trek fantasy. Ultracapacitors appear to have an incredibly important role to play in the future of automobiles. Thus, it was very interesting to read that Maxwell Technologies and Valeo have entered into partnership negotiations to develop a new 14+X StARS (starter alternator reversible system), as an alternative to today's mild hybrid systems.

"Because its energy storage employs high-efficiency, low-cost, ultracapacitor technology rather than costly nickel metal hydride or lithium-ion batteries, StARS 14+X can deliver 80 percent of the benefit of a mild hybrid system at 20 percent of the cost," said Daniel Richard, Director, R&D Valeo Electrical Systems. "Tax incentives and free access to high occupancy vehicle lanes have helped to stimulate demand for current premium-priced hybrid cars as niche products, but we believe that mass adoption of low-emission vehicles and much greater benefits in reduced CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions will be driven by the availability of more cost-effective hybrid architectures."

Hopefully, these ultracapacitors can move beyond mild hybrid use to help make full hybrid vehicles even more cost-effective.

(press release)

Argonne lab to test Mawell ultracapacitors on hybrids

Could ultracapacitors take hybrids to the next level?

"This is a tremendous opportunity for Maxwell to collaborate with a world-renowned transportation research organization in demonstrating how ultracapacitors complement hybrid vehicle batteries," said Dr. Richard Balanson, Maxwell's president and chief executive officer. "We believe that this project will further validate the efficiency, low temperature performance, battery life and other advantages of combining ultracapacitor and lithium-ion technology."

New lithium-batteries, ultracapacitors: Is the hybrid revolution now inevitable?