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Product category: Capacitors
News Release from: Maxwell Technologies | Subject: BCAP0650 etc
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 03 March 2006

Ultracapacitors have the power for
transportation

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New power-type Boostcap ultracapacitor cells and multicell modules are specifically designed and constructed for the most demanding automotive and transportation applications.

Maxwell Technologies is introducing 16 new power-type Boostcap ultracapacitor cells and multicell modules specifically designed and constructed for the most demanding automotive and transportation applications Dr Richard Balanson, Maxwell's president and chief executive officer, said that the Power product line responds directly to customer requirements for high-efficiency "life-of-the-vehicle" energy storage and power delivery solutions

"With more than 60 million new cars produced annually around the world and the proliferation of power-consuming functions in current and future vehicles, the automotive market is real, and it represents the single largest opportunity for ultracapacitor-based solutions, so we are moving aggressively to capitalise on Maxwell's position as the global technology leader", Balanson said.

Dr John M Miller, Maxwell's Vice President for Advanced Transportation Applications, said that the company's line of six new power-type cells includes the compact, 650F, BCAP0650, whose versatility and high performance make ultracapacitors a compelling alternative to battery-based solutions for all types of hybrid drive systems, idle stop-start, power network stabilisation and other applications.

"Automakers are turning to ultracapacitors for solutions that optimise efficiency, ensure reliable cold starting, better manage power flows, stiffen and smoothen the power distribution network and provide failsafe backup for critical safety systems", Miller said.

"The BCAP0650 and our other power products will provide the lowest equivalent series resistance (ESR) and highest efficiency available with current ultracapacitor technology".

Other new Boostcap power products include cells ranging in capacitance from 320 to 2600F and 10 fully integrated modules based on the new cells.

All the cells with a capacitance of 650F or greater operate at 2.7V, enabling them to store more energy and deliver more power per unit volume than any other commercially available ultracapacitor products.

Miller said that all of the new power products are expected to be available by the end of March.

Earlier, the company announced the introduction of an equivalent line of low-cost energy-type products for lighter duty industrial, UPS, telecommunications and consumer electronics applications.

"All of these products will meet or exceed demanding transportation and industrial application requirements for both watt-hours of energy storage and watts of power delivery per kilogram and will perform reliably for more than one million discharge-recharge cycles", Miller said.

"The proprietary architecture and material science on which these product families are based also significantly reduce manufacturing cost, positioning Maxwell to compete favourably with batteries and other competing technologies".

Miller noted that Maxwell's multicell modules for automotive applications encased in rugged, splash-proof aluminium chassis and include internal cell balancing that give designers "plug and play" solutions, plus module-to-module balancing that makes them versatile building blocks for systems with higher voltage requirements.

Boostcap ultracapacitors deliver up to 10 times the power and longevity of batteries, require no maintenance and operate reliably in extreme temperatures.

In transportation applications, they efficiently recapture energy from braking for reuse in hybrid drive trains, reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

They also provide compact, lightweight "life-of-the vehicle" solutions to stabilise automotive power networks and power new, all-electric subsystems, such as drive-by-wire steering.

In mission critical industrial applications, where backup power is critical for continued operation or a soft shutdown in the event of power interruptions, they provide reliable, cost-effective, maintenance-free energy storage.

In wind turbine blade pitch and braking systems and other industrial applications, they provide a simple, solid state, highly reliable, solution to buffer short-term mismatches between the power available and the power required.

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