ZENN Certifies EEStor Technology Milestone

ZENN recently reported that a third party had certified an important technology milestone reached by EEStor.  Independent tests showed that…

…the main material in the ultracapacitor technology achieved relative permittivity of at least 22,500 over an operating range of -20 to +65 degrees Celsius. Permittivity is a measurement of how much energy can be stored in a material.

Per the agreement with EEStor, reaching the milestone triggers an additional $700,000 payment by ZENN and an opportunity to increase their equity stake.  The next milestone is to commercialization of the technology, which according to the agreement, is supposed to start by the end of 2009.  ZENN still plans to incorporate the ultracapacitor technology in vehicles in 2010.  Learn more:  cleantech.com

Technology & Research Developments

Battery/Ultracapacitor System for Small EVs – Using an NEV as the target vehicle, researchers from the Illinois Institute of Technology and Allborg University (Denmark) are working on a hybrid system that combines a battery pack with an ultracapacitor.  The battery handles average power loads while the ultracapacitor handles peak loads.

The target NEV has a speed limit of 40-50 km/h (25-31 mph), maximum power of 40 kW, and a weight of about 800 kg. The battery pack comprised two parallel strings of 14 series-connected 12 V NiMH batteries (Saft NHE 10-100). The ultracapacitor was a Maxwell BMOD0063 module with a nominal voltage of 125V.

Learn more:  greencarcongress.com

Bi-polar Lead Acid Battery For EVs – Last week a partnership between University of Glamorgan (Wales) and Atraverda was announced for the purpose of developing bi-polar lead acid batteries for a variety of commercial markets including EVs.  Atraverda has expertise in conductive ceramics that would be used in the batteries.  Prototypes are expected to begin testing within a year.

The partners say their work could lead to lead-acid batteries that are up to 40% lighter, 20% smaller, have 40% more energy capacity and twice the lifespan of traditional lead acid batteries.

Learn more:  greencarcongress.com

EEStor Patent Sheds Some Light

A recently granted patent provides some more information about the company’s much anticipated technology.  According to one analysis of the patent

An EESU (Electrical Energy Storage Unit) weighs 281 pounds, has a volume of 2.63 cubic feet, can be fully charged in 3-6 minutes, is completely unaffected by temperature, will not explode or catch fire in an accident, and provides 52 kWh of electricity.