Topic: 250 mile range: Zenn plans to use ultra capacitors to power their EVs

[EV Dan]

http://gm-volt.com/2008/06/01/exclusive-ceo-of-zenn-motor-company-on-eestor-eestor-storage-units-cityzenn-and-zennergy-drive-systems/


It all sounds too good. However with todays tech it may be entirely possible. I remember as kids we would break open TV capacitors and discover a fairly thick foil inside. Those were heavy and the capacity was pathetic.
I figure in the age of nano tech it maybe possible to make electrodes of molecular thickness and thus tremendously increase energy storage. I dont know how quick those will self-discharge or what will happen if such cap shortens, seems they will have to use a few dozen to avoid a big bang. Whats really cool Zenn is based in Toronto and looks like they have exclusive agreement with EEstor to use their capacitors. As caps can also be charged in no time cars might be able to load the grid only for a few hours overnight (off-peak), making unnecessary expanding the existing power generation.
Any comments?

[Schmengie]

If there was something to this, which I highly doubt, don't you think the mega-corporations would have snapped it up in a heartbeat? There's no way they would leave a miraculous technology like that in anyone's hands but their own.

[EV Dan]

There are exceptions like GM doing away with EV1 and Ford getting rid of their branch now known as Th!nk. There are so many different research labs and small business start-ups that sometimes they are overlooked. We'll have to wait and see.

[Leviathan]

If there was something to this, which I highly doubt, don't you think the mega-corporations would have snapped it up in a heartbeat? There's no way they would leave a miraculous technology like that in anyone's hands but their own.

I've been "authoritatively" told by a member at another web site that big oil, governments, aliens and who knows what else are actively suppressing energy technologies:

Apparently a lot of you don't understand that energy experiments are CLOSELY watched by others (not of this world.) Free energy is such a huge step forward in the evolution of humankind that it has been thwarted countless times by those who would prefer we stay in the dark.

So if there was something to this the aliens or someone else would get to them before it could be brought to market everyone with the knowledge would be assassinated. Well, according to that member anyway 

[EV Dan]

not if they are wearing foil hats 

They might have struck gold if they figured a method to spray "foil" on dielectric film, similar how nanosolar manages to do it with "printed" solar panels.

[Leviathan]

not if they are wearing foil hats 

Hehehe, for some reason the suggestion of tinfoil as a possible material for head wear caused some friction between them(there is more than one with these ideas) and me....

[dr_spock]

I've heard of projects of using capacitors to store energy for radios and cell phones.   I think the challenge is storing enough charge and controlling the discharge.   I imagine you could also use it to turn your electric car into a super taser against anyone trying to steal your car.   

[ArticSteve]

I got one of these units locked away in my basement. 

[initial_D]

When I was in U, from the formulas in text books, learned the energy efficiency of capacitors charge/store is about 50%. much worse than batteries. For every 100W is power the capacitors needs to charge, it can only release 50W of that power, the rest is just wasted. Sure hope the newer technology can improve that.

[EV Dan]

When I was in U, from the formulas in text books, learned the energy efficiency of capacitors charge/store is about 50%. much worse than batteries. For every 100W is power the capacitors needs to charge, it can only release 50W of that power, the rest is just wasted. Sure hope the newer technology can improve that.

Never heard of that one, if it were so all capacitors would have an overheating issue.
The formula I recall is the more square footage and the thinner the isolator the more energy a capacitor can store.

[initial_D]

We treated the caps as battery, calculated the energy it stored, and then discharge / release the stored energy. Pure Matlab exercise, it was a surprised find.

[EV Dan]

Thats way too scientific. We just put a charged cap on the teacher's chair. And it worked. It burned a few fuzes in his head and then he never let us use matlab even for y=x squared. 

[Wolfe]

If there was something to this, which I highly doubt, don't you think the mega-corporations would have snapped it up in a heartbeat? There's no way they would leave a miraculous technology like that in anyone's hands but their own.

BMW is supposed to be working on a hybrid system using ultra-capacitors.

IIRC their idea was to use the fast charge/discharge capability of the capacitors to assist with initial acceleration then recapture energy on braking but using the engine during cruising. It's sort of an extension of their efficient dynamics system and would avoid the weight penalty of carrying a big battery pack.