Maxwell Technologies' Blogs

The Grid Will Only Be as Smart as the People Guiding Its Future

Putting smart people together to tackle a problem like we have with the grid today doesn’t necessarily mean we will end up with a smart grid. We’ve all heard that “you have to walk before you can run” and “the only way to eat an elephant is a bite at a time.” Both statements are true and particularly relevant in tackling a massive project such as the grid. In its annual 2010 Energy Outlook Report, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that the federal government has allocated $4.5 billion from ARRA funds to grid technology and infrastructure development. This investment is ...

Ultracapacitors: Power for Greener, More Efficient Cars

Consumer demand for greener, more fuel-efficient vehicles continues to drive automotive research and development to reduce weight and fuel consumption, manage internal power loads and capture and reuse energy that is wasted in conventional braking systems. While early efforts have proved valuable, they are just the beginning of more energy-efficient and environmentally-compatible automotive design. Regardless of engine size, a car’s performance is important and automakers are giving us some intriguing glimpses of the future direction in more efficient power sources. Automotive OEMs are developing cars with smaller engines that provide adequate power in bigger platforms and boost performance with electrical energy ...

Invest in Energy Efficiency Instead of New Supply

With oil continuing to wash ashore in the Gulf of Mexico, 11 senators and 35 representatives are demanding a ban or moratorium on offshore oil drilling. Hearings are underway to investigate the Massey Mine disaster, which killed 29 miners and reminded America of the risks and cost of coal extraction. The Department of the Interior’s approval of Cape Wind’s application to harness wind off the coast of Massachusetts has detractors pledging to tie the process up for years in the courts. Without a doubt, we will need new sources of supply. But with promising new supplies requiring significant time and capital ...

The Latest Media Coverage on Maxwell’s Ultracapacitors

Recently we had the good fortune of being included in two news stories I’d like to share with you. The first was by Heather Clancy from ZDNet's GreenTech Pastures about ultracapacitors and their different uses in energy storage. I spoke with Heather last month while on a trip to New York. Here’s part of what she had to say: Being that my physics background is limited to a high-school honors class and to a “Physics for Arts Students” I took during my undergraduate days at McGill University, I agreed to an education briefing by Maxwell Technologies CEO David Schramm. The second was an in-depth article by Jim Motavalli ...

New Emissions Standards Will Help Ultracapacitor Adoption

Recently the Transportation Department and the Environmental Protection Agency announced new emissions and fuel efficiency standards for American car manufacturers. Since the announcement, there has been a great deal of discussion about how to meet these standards. Automotive companies are going to have to focus their efforts on finding an economical way to meet the new guidelines. While lithium ion batteries have received a lot of press as being the answer for electric vehicles, there is still quite a bit of debate about when they will be a viable solution. In Mike Everett’s post back in January, he pointed out that some ...