Thanks shaftoe; Using Highgate’s polymer as a starting point,...

Thanks shaftoe;

Using Highgate’s polymer as a starting point, researchers at Bristol University and Surrey University created a new version of supercapacitors they say can be charged in minutes rather than hours. They think they can store enough energy to allow an electric car to drive at least 200 miles and possibly as much as 350 miles on a single 10-minute charge. Highgate has looked at the research and says, “It could have a seismic effect on energy, but it’s not a done deal.”
One drawback is that supercapacitors cannot store a charge as long as an traditional battery can. So if you left a car powered by a new generation supercap at the airport for a month, it would be fully discharged when you return. (Of course, by the time this technology comes to market, wireless charging will be standard at all airports, but that’s a separate story.)
Dr Thomas Miller, an expert on supercapacitors at University College London, who was not involved in the work, said the technology would have to scale up to compete. “If a significant leap has been made in energy density, it would be an important achievement,” he said. “One major consideration that is yet to be proven is the scalability, cost and sustainability of the new technology.”
Which brings us back to the beginning of this post. Near the end of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Ebeneezer Scrooge asks the Ghost of Christmas Future, “Are these the shadows of the things that will be, or are they shadows of things that may be, only.” Elon Musk said back in 2011 that the big breakthrough in electric transportation would involve supercapacitors, not batteries. Reports of advanced supercapacitors are the shadow of things that may be but not necessarily things that will be.
Highgate says he is confident prototypes of the new generation supercapacitors will be in production within two years, initially for specialized uses, perhaps by the military. Fortunately, there is always money for military research, even if we need to eviscerate health care, Social Security, food stamps, child care, and the entire public education system to give the generals what they need to continue bringing peace to the world.


https://cleantechnica.com/2018/02/2...inute-charging-times-200-mile-range/[/BCOLOR]

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