Sydney, May 27, 2013: Global demand for high energy, high power supercapacitors (ultracapacitors, electric double layer capacitors or EDLC) is growing rapidly as a host of real world applications come to market. These include Stop-Start and Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) for cars, trucks, buses, cranes, construction machinery and elevators, ride-through power for trams and trains, uninterruptable power supplies, renewable energy management, power factor correction and on-grid/off-grid storage.
Why supercapacitors? Because they do things batteries can’t, in a package that weighs less, takes up less space and has negligible environmental costs. They deliver the high currents demanded by peak loads like engine cranking in Stop-Start systems, accept the high currents and rapid recharge generated during coasting and braking in micro-hybrid vehicles, and keep doing it for millions of cycles, even at temperatures that leave batteries cold.
Australian company CAP-XX, which has long been recognised as a leader in small supercapacitor markets, has now developed a large prismatic supercapacitor for use in these emerging applications, together with a proprietary supercapacitor management system for multi-cell modules operating at higher voltages. The critical success factors for these products are size, weight, energy and power. This translates to a need for high energy density (thousands of Farads in the smallest possible device) and high power density (very low series resistance in a very efficient package). CAP-XX meets these requirements first by using the most advanced materials available inside the cell, and then by packaging them in an extremely efficient prismatic cell. Thin, flat CAP-XX supercapacitors offer as much as 30% greater packing efficiency internally than an equivalent cylindrical supercapacitor, and another 10 - 20% advantage over cans when stacked into a multi-cell module. This combination of best in class materials and packaging delivers energy and power density ratings for CAP-XX which are more than double those of competitive products:
Parameter Units CAP-XX GC1 EDLC Cell CAP-XX GC6 EDLC Module Comp 1 200F EDLC Module Comp 2 500F EDLC Module Comp 3 1200F Hyb Module
CAP F 1400 230 200 500 1200
ESR mΩ 0.26 2.90 2.90 2.10 3.00
Voltage V 2.7 16.0 16.0 16.0 12.0
Length mm 195 220 422 418 369
Width mm 110 145 73 68 181
Height mm 9.5 75 91 179 215
Volume L 0.20 2.4 2.8 5.1 14.4
Weight kg 0.23 1.9 4.4 5.5 21.0
Energy Density Wh/kg 6.2 4.3 1.6 3.2 1.1
Power Density W/kg 30,477 11,615 5,016 5,531 571

Laboratory testing and in-vehicle trials of the CAP-XX automotive modules have already been completed. To facilitate further research by customers and potential licensees, CAP-XX has now commissioned a small-scale production line to manufacture the GC1 supercapacitors and GC6 modules for evaluation. Single cell supercapacitors are available now in sample quantities for US$100/piece, and 16V modules suitable for automotive use will be shipping in June at a price of $900/module, including the proprietary CAP-XX supercapacitor management system.
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About CAP-XX
CAP-XX (LSE:CPX) is a world leader in the design and manufacture of thin, flat supercapacitors and energy management systems used in portable and small-scale electronic devices, and to an increasing extent, in larger applications such as automotive and renewable energy. The unique feature of CAP-XX supercapacitors is their very high power density and high energy storage capacity in a space-efficient prismatic package. These attributes are essential in power-hungry consumer and industrial electronics, and deliver similar benefits in automotive and other transportation applications. For more information about CAP-XX automotive solutions, visit www.cap-xx.com or contact Peter Buckle, VP Sales & Marketing at [email protected].