As luck would have it, my cobloggers Phil, Kathy Hanson, Michael Sargent, Ben Young and I all won golden tickets to tour the super-secretive EEStor factory in Cedar Park, Texas.
As we arrived we gathered just outside the huge iron factory gate. After what seemed an eternity, the gate swung open and we were all greeted by diminutive orange teamsters and the factory’s elusive caretaker Richard Weir.
Throughout the day we toured a wonderland of futuristic paradigm-altering technology. But, strangely, our party kept shrinking. Michael’s incessant gum-chewing, Ben’s handheld television, and Kathy’s nonstop shouting “But I want a supercapacitor NOW!” caused them all to be asked to step away from the tour. And those tiny workers seemed weirdly disappointed that the new Phil wasn’t tempted by the river of chocolate at the lunch buffet.
Phil would have made it to the end of the tour, but he got sidetracked by the Fizzy Lifting Flying Car Project (FLFCP).
Only I, being pure of heart, was allowed to see the entire factory…
Okay. Obviously frustration has sent me a little over the edge. Is EEStor about to change the world, or is this all an elaborate tease? Since January we’ve been waiting for EEStor to deliver their supercapacitors for use in ZENN electric cars. If what they’ve claimed is true, it will be a real game changer:
The Achilles heel of [currently available] ultracapacitors is their specific energy density — they don’t hold nearly as much energy per unit weight as batteries. Lithium ion batteries produce around 120 watt hours per kilogram, whereas commercially available ultracapacitors produce around 6 Wh/kg, some 20 times less. That won’t cut it for vehicles, much less for industrial-grade renewable energy storage.
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[But EEStor] system claims a specific energy of about 280 watt hours per kilogram, compared with around 120 watt hours per kilogram for lithium-ion and 32 watt hours per kilogram for lead-acid gel batteries.
Forget hybrids, if EEStor delivers this, we’ll all jump straight to 100% electric vehicles. Supercapaciters are environmentally clean, charge as fast as you can fill a tank with gasoline, and would be cheap to operate.
EEStor has not produced (at least for the public) a working prototype. Perhaps they’re worried about the Slugworth’s of the world who could steal their invention. But they do have a patent. Comeon guys, show your cards!
Maybe they don’t feel the need to demonstrate their technology because they have sufficient investment already. ZENN Motor Company has invested $3.8 million and the venture capitalist firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers (known for wise early investments in Google and Amazon) has invested another $3 million.
These high-end investors must know more than the public. But other critics are publicly doubtful that EEStor’s announced breakthrough is even technically possible.
I remain hopeful and optimistic because the guys that founded EEStor have a good track record. When a prototype is delivered we will learn either that EEStor is living in a world of pure imagination, or that we’ve all got a golden ticket.