Hosted by ECN’s Editorial Director, Alix Paultre, the Tinker’s Toolbox is ECN’s web-based interview show where we talk about the latest technology, components, and design issues for the electronic design engineering community.
In this episode of the Tinker’s Toolbox, we talk with Chad Hall of Ioxus about his company’s new hybrid capacitor technology. A combination of an ultracapacitor and a lithium-ion battery, the technology enables an energy density 115 percent higher than standard electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs). Ioxus is currently the only U.S. company, and one of only two manufacturers worldwide, offering this technology.
Ioxus hybrid capacitors are similar to lithium-ion batteries, but they retain a far superior cycle life with more than 20,000 charge/discharge cycles possible rather than the hundreds or few thousand delivered by batteries. The hybrid components offer advantages over standard ultracapacitors, as well, which have an energy density of 12.8 Wh/L. The hybrid capacitor offers an enhanced capability of energy storage, providing power to applications more quickly and efficiently.
“When Ioxus received a federal appropriation earlier this year to work with Binghamton University on increasing energy density in ultracapacitors, we began developing hybrid cells capable of storing significantly more energy than traditional EDLCs,” said Mark McGough, CEO of Ioxus. “The result is our hybrid ultracapacitor, which supports the high cycle, wide temperature range and high power demands of applications like automotive subsystems, memory back-up, LED lighting and other products in consumer-focused markets.”
Hybrid capacitors can be used for numerous purposes, including:
* Flashlights
* LED applications
* Memory back-up
* Portable hand tools
* Solar charge applications
* Off-grid lighting
* Automotive subsystems such as power windows and door locks
Ioxus’ hybrid capacitor offers benefits to industries beyond lighting, given its temperature range of -25C to +60C. At the low end of the range, the hybrid capacitor loses only 5 percent of its energy while comparable battery energy loss would by 50 percent or more. Ioxus hybrid capacitors are 90 to 95 percent efficient, offering far better value than batteries, which only offer approximately 70 percent efficiency.
“The hybrid capacitor supports the mission of clean tech manufacturers across multiple industries who are intent on capturing higher power and longer cycle life with components that also deliver green energy,” said McGough. “The hybrid capacitor is a breakthrough in energy density and power that will fuel the development of environmentally friendly applications in markets from transportation to consumer goods.”
Additional Ioxus Information:
– Ioxus data sheets: http://www.ioxus.com/data-sheets.html
– Ioxus store: http://www.ioxus.com/store/
– Ioxus on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ioxus
