At present, the emerging start-stop system for cars is facing an endless stream of inefficiencies and durability issues, which may open the door to the market for super-capacitor technology, which has long been known as "say it well."
The widespread adoption of supercapacitors in cars has always been considered too expensive, but there are signs of a rise, albeit slowly. Maxwell, the world's leading supplier of supercapacitors, believes that with the trend of vehicle electrification, automakers will find the advantages of this technology irresistible.
Unlike a battery that operates through a chemical reaction, an ultracapacitor directly stores energy in the form of a charge, so that charging and discharging of a large number of charges can be rapidly completed. Due to the ability to cycle charge and discharge, store large amounts of power, and instantaneously release high power, supercapacitors are more suitable for start-stop applications and can improve the performance of start-stop applications. This has prompted automakers to pay closer attention to supercapacitors.
Mikael Setterberg, Maxwell Engine Startup Manager and Chief Engineer, said: “AGM batteries must be replaced every half year to two years.†He suggested using supercapacitors with low-cost conventional lead-acid batteries. The service life can be as long as 10 years and can satisfy the traffic of 162,000 kilometers.
As automotive manufacturers need to meet increasingly stringent fuel economy and emission regulations, start-stop applications continue to expand worldwide. U.S. market research firm Navigant Research predicts that by 2022, the global start-stop system will have a penetration rate of 54.3% in new cars. Even if only a part of the start-stop system uses super-capacitors, it will bring huge potential opportunities for the super-capacitor industry.
Under the trend of automotive electrification, supercapacitors can also be used in other professional automotive systems, such as: the use of brake regenerative energy to heat the catalyst of cars in cars, reduce emission at startup, or for active suspension and self-driving vehicles. Key devices such as electronically controlled steering and braking provide power.
Electric turbo/overpressurization is another use of supercapacitors. The automotive engineering firm Richardo used a super capacitor in his HyBoost project car to collect regenerative energy and power the car's electric supercharger. Setterberg thinks: "Supercapacitors are truly worthwhile technology and they have a lot to offer in the field of electric boosters."
Currently, in addition to the widely-recognized Lamborghini supercar Aventador, Maxwell super-capacitors have been used by more than a dozen models of Peugeot Citroen's start-stop units, and the total number of cars installed with this start-stop unit has been estimated at more than 1 million units. "In the near future, Maxwell's sales of ultracapacitors will also expand substantially," said Setterberg. "Maxwell has seen the Detroit auto giants have an interest in their products and expects to win orders within a year or two."
About Maxwell Technology:
Maxwell Technologies is a global leader in the development and manufacturing of innovative, cost-effective energy storage and transmission solutions. Our super capacitor products provide safe and reliable power solutions for consumer and industrial electronics, transportation and telecommunications applications. Our high-voltage voltage-sharing and coupling capacitors help ensure the safety and reliability of power facilities and applications such as power transmission and distribution systems and high-voltage measurement systems. Our radiation-resistive microelectronics products include power modules, storage modules and single-board computers, combined with powerful commercial chips that provide outstanding performance and reliability for aerospace applications.