More News on EEStor

The latest about EEStor, the promising developer of ultracapacitors can be found in a post by Tyler in Clean Break, EEStor Powered cityZenn targeted for fall 2009 the key item is taken from Zenn Motor Company's  press release following its annual general meeting of March 28:

The cityZENN is planned to be a fully certified, highway capable vehicle with a top speed of 125 KPH/ 80 MPH and a range or 400 kilometres/250 miles. Powered by EEStor, the cityZENN will be rechargeable in less than 5 minutes, feature operating costs 1/10th of a typical internal combustion engine vehicle and be 100% emission-free! The Zero-Emission, No-Noise cityZENN will be designed to meet the transportation requirements of a large percentage of drivers worldwide.

"EEStor's game-changing energy storage technology is in the advanced stages of commercialization", stated Ian Clifford, Chief Executive Officer. "EEStor has publicly committed to commercialization in 2008 and their first production line will be used to supply ZENN Motor Company."

EEStor is believed to have had trouble developing its product, an ultracapacitor claimed to have a specific energy of 280 watt-hours per kilogram, compared to a lithium ion battery with about 120 watt-hours and a lead-acid gel battery, with only 32 watt hours. (Although ElectroVaya claims 330Wh/kg, so they may not be alone) 

The problem is believed, by some, to be in producing the ultra-pure barium-titanate used in the capacitor, which is the key to having the high specific energy. A January 2007 announcement indicated that 1) An automated production line had been proven to meet the requirements for precise chemical delivery, purity control, parameter control and stability and 2) they had completed the initial milestone of certifying purification, concentration, and stability of all of its key production chemicals notably the attainment of 99.9994% purity of its barium nitrate powder. At that time they claimed that they would be shipping product to Zenn in 2007, a year earlier than indicated in the current announcement. 

EEStor's recently announced collaboration with Lockheed Martin, which gives the company credibility and is a further indication that the company is making progress. The current announcement seems to be in agreement with the timing indicated in the Lockheed Martin announcement, although, based on past performance, a wait and see position must be held. 

Comments

[Benjamin Cole]

I want to believe, want to so bad....just hope these batteries, or ultracapacitors, work. Game-changer , if they do. Good-bye internal combustion engine, good-bye OPEC, good-bye smog.....wow, wow, wow, wow.
Something tells me not to get my hopes up.....

[Marco Almondine]

Reminds me of the development of lithium polymer batteries. I first heard of them in 1992 but even as an engineer I could not get my hands on samples until years later. Eventually they showed up in a few products and today they are in many. But none of the initial big proponents wound up being a large supplier.

There are a handful of announcements per year from lab scientists about supposed breakthroughs that will transform energy storage, allow 8 hour laptop runtimes, etc., but the chain from lab to field is over 10 years long and that's for the stuff that pans out.

The industry is rightly skeptical of EEStor at the moment. They have not released enough information to demonstrate that their technology works at all, let alone to the industry-transforming specs claimed, and they certainly have not demonstrated an ability to manufacture a reliable, reasonably priced product in high volume.

A partnership with Lockheed Martin only means that LM might one day use the technology in some military application if they so desire. Spending company resources pursuing that market would slow down any eventual introduction into consumer electric vehicles.

[NiraliSherni]

Just a line to say thanks for all the great info you keep providing. I for one take a lot of heart from the amount of work and effort that people are putting in to make alternative energy more viable and cost effective. More and more effort needs to be put in so that cleaner, renewable and sustainable energy systems are developed and put into place so that people have alternatives to a polluting lifestyle.

[Danzig]

Jim Fraser said:

"based on past performance, a wait and see position must be held."

No kidding.

[Charles Barton]

Well what the story did not say is that EEStor technology was suppose to appear some time last year. Now we have a promise of something bigger next year. Sigh!

[Frank]

I'm really beginning to think that journalists and stock pumpers are in cahoots on this one. This scenario has occured several times, now: Zenn stock (ZNN on the TSX) has just drifted back down to half its highest value, then another of Tyler's Clean Break news releases articles appears, and the stock shoots back up. Nobody else seems to get this information, and none of the information actually addresses the basic physical impossibility -- and blatant error -- in the description of EEStor and in the patent information. A number of well-known experts in ultra-capacitor chemistry are saying this is pure eyewash, "purest of pure powders and all.

[Rick]

Yes, it would 'suck' if this was all a ploy to snag venture capitalist funds and nothing more. They hold the patent(s), why not be more forthcoming on even a little more information?

[dave]

"We" are always waiting for "Them" to "Come out with", "It". Drive an electric car. Charge it during off peak hours. Insulate your attic,change your bulbs, shade your house, get your AC unit off the roof and out of the sun, investigate different roofing materials, and, put in some triple pane windows. This will help to offset your vehicles electricity consumption. Batteries are very recyclable. We don't need two motors in our cars. We don't need complex control systems that break down. Electricity from existing power sources is still better than gasoline, and everything that goes with it.

[Michael]

I just want to know what EESTORs stock symbol is.

[don knudson]

I'll believe it when I see it. Too many unanswered technical questions.

[Scott Graham]

EESTOR is a private company. It does not have publicly traded stock so no stock symbol

[TheTruth]

oil is the fuel of the future - you can bet on it!

[Bryan]

Couple this technology with www.nanosolar.com, and you've just:

1. Removed every house from the electric grid
2. Closed every gas station in America
3. Brought the cost of food down to unbelievable levels
4. Brought the cost of long distance (airplane) transportation down to historic lows
5. Made many products of this country cheaper
6. Staved off the "Peak Oil" scare on a PERMANENT basis.

We live in HAPPY TIMES! Just keep praying oil goes out the roof, it's the "shot" that'll ennoculate us from OIL. Hurts at first, but you'll be better off in the long run.

[markH]

couple this technolgy with a diesel or turbine engine and you could probably get it off the ground much quicker. maybe you could have a setting switch where the engine would kick in a specific speed. you could have specific settings like 70 mph then 80mph...120mph. the engine would also kick in when the cap started getting low on the electrcal charge in it. the engine would at least get you to a charging station.

[j]

There's some interesting information being gathered and discussed about EEStor at this blog:

http://bariumtitanate.blogspot.com

[solarnetwork]

there's also an open source framework in development that could use an EEStor device:

http://www.solarnetwork.net/