A January 3 article in Automotive Engineering International Online highlights the potential for ultracapacitors to take some of the battery market for vehicle power. The positive side of ultracapacitors would seem to demand their use over that of batteries. They can produce up to 10 times the power of batteries – important in acceleration. They handle temperatures down to -40°C (-40° F), something which drops battery power outputs to near uselessness in many cases. They last forever compared to batteries, can be charged in minutes as opposed to hours, and can even be recycled more fully than batteries – some of whose chemistries are toxic. Prices are dropping quickly. A 3,000-Farad ultracapacitor sold for $5,000 10 years ago. Today, it sells for $50. Battery prices have come down only 30 to 40 percent in the same time. Such a device can store 3,000 Amp-seconds of energy, meaning it could discharge 3,000 Amps at one Volt for one second. More logically, …
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