Comments on: The Chevy Volt Needs an Ultracapacitor http://maxwell.maples.com/blog/2010/01/28/the-chevy-volt-needs-an-ultracapacitor/ Maxwell is a leading developer and manufacturer of innovative, cost-effective energy storage and power delivery solutions. Wed, 05 May 2010 02:20:34 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Jon Reon http://maxwell.maples.com/blog/2010/01/28/the-chevy-volt-needs-an-ultracapacitor/comment-page-1/#comment-73 Jon Reon Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:49:20 +0000 http://maxwell.maples.com/blog/?p=196#comment-73 Show us what your product will do for a Prius or any other hybrid and maybe the entire internet will cheer in agreement with you. Show us what your product will do for a Prius or any other hybrid and maybe the entire internet will cheer in agreement with you.

]]> By: Jack Willard http://maxwell.maples.com/blog/2010/01/28/the-chevy-volt-needs-an-ultracapacitor/comment-page-1/#comment-15 Jack Willard Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:19:31 +0000 http://maxwell.maples.com/blog/?p=196#comment-15 There are newer UC technologies ready to be launched which GM should examine. GreenTech Media has cited several of them. I have investigated them all but only one stands out as being “disruptive”. While all of the present competing UC technologies produce around 5 Farads per gram, (Thanks to Andrew Burke, UC Davis) one startup claims 100 F/g. That is the UC electrode developed and patented by Reticle Inc. of Los Altos Ca. It seems that the reason for this is the way the activated carbon is consolidated. The present mfrs use binders which tend to occlude the pores of the AC, reducing both the surface area and conductivity. The “Big Three” stated at the World UC summit, last year that they can only get a max of 600 sq. meters per gram from 2000 sq. meter carbon. Additionally, they can only make thin film electrodes. Reticle says they use a patented process which creates thicker electrode material without binders and can get 1800 sq. meters per gram. If this is true, they can dramatically reduce both weight and cost. Check it out for yourself. (I found a paper published on Ultracapacitors.org last year (. I also understand they won the Frost & Sullivan Award for Carbon Materials. There are newer UC technologies ready to be launched which GM should examine. GreenTech Media has cited several of them. I have investigated them all but only one stands out as being “disruptive”.

While all of the present competing UC technologies produce around 5 Farads per gram, (Thanks to Andrew Burke, UC Davis) one startup claims 100 F/g. That is the UC electrode developed and patented by Reticle Inc. of Los Altos Ca.

It seems that the reason for this is the way the activated carbon is consolidated. The present mfrs use binders which tend to occlude the pores of the AC, reducing both the surface area and conductivity. The “Big Three” stated at the World UC summit, last year that they can only get a max of 600 sq. meters per gram from 2000 sq. meter carbon. Additionally, they can only make thin film electrodes.

Reticle says they use a patented process which creates thicker electrode material without binders and can get 1800 sq. meters per gram. If this is true, they can dramatically reduce both weight and cost. Check it out for yourself. (I found a paper published on Ultracapacitors.org last year (. I also understand they won the Frost & Sullivan Award for Carbon Materials.

]]> By: Maxwell Technologies http://maxwell.maples.com/blog/2010/01/28/the-chevy-volt-needs-an-ultracapacitor/comment-page-1/#comment-12 Maxwell Technologies Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:21:49 +0000 http://maxwell.maples.com/blog/?p=196#comment-12 David, Thank you for the thoughtful comments. Rather than reply here, we feel your questions deserve a blog post of their own which will be posted by the end of the week. David,

Thank you for the thoughtful comments. Rather than reply here, we feel your questions deserve a blog post of their own which will be posted by the end of the week.

]]> By: David Herron http://maxwell.maples.com/blog/2010/01/28/the-chevy-volt-needs-an-ultracapacitor/comment-page-1/#comment-8 David Herron Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:49:34 +0000 http://maxwell.maples.com/blog/?p=196#comment-8 Wistful? I'm curious why you, the CEO, are failing at getting these car companies to adopt your product? If it's so much better than batteries then why aren't they flocking to your company? I know they all know about your product. Heck, I've known about your product for over 10 years. But there has to be some reason over why it isn't being used. Off the top of my head some possibilities are:- a) expense, the manufacturers are looking at $$'s per kilowatt-hour of stored energy.. b) are control circuits complicated.. c) reliability.. d) kilowatt-hours per liter of volume.. All of those are important considerations a vehicle maker has before adopting a product, right? Wistful? I’m curious why you, the CEO, are failing at getting these car companies to adopt your product? If it’s so much better than batteries then why aren’t they flocking to your company? I know they all know about your product. Heck, I’ve known about your product for over 10 years. But there has to be some reason over why it isn’t being used.

Off the top of my head some possibilities are:- a) expense, the manufacturers are looking at $$’s per kilowatt-hour of stored energy.. b) are control circuits complicated.. c) reliability.. d) kilowatt-hours per liter of volume.. All of those are important considerations a vehicle maker has before adopting a product, right?

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