Farad Ultra Capacitors for the Automotive Industry

In 2011, Tesla CEO Elon Musk boldly proclaimed that super capacitors would be the important breakthrough for electric cars.

Super capacitors, or ultra capacitors, have a much higher power density than batteries, meaning they can provide power far more quickly than existing battery technology.

This is how Formula One racing first adopted the idea for it’s KERS (kinetic energy recovery system). Ultra capacitors are more efficient in storing large amounts of energy captured during regenerative braking and when it comes to acceleration, the ultra capacitors would be able to deliver large amounts of energy much faster than batteries, with less energy loss.

Each time a F1 car brakes when going into a corner, the energy generated is stored in an ultra capacitor and used as a ‘boost’ when needed during acceleration.

Ultra capacitors do not store a reservoir of energy like how conventional lithium ion batteries are able to do. There is also a tradeoff between how fast conventional lithium ion batteries can be charged and discharged as well. The secret is when paired with ultra capacitors, these lithium ion batteries will provide the running power while ultra capacitors deliver the burst of energy during acceleration.

In short, this is how ultra capacitors will be breakthrough technology for electric vehicles which Elon Musk alluded to.

China has a booming electric vehicle market. From scooters, bikes to cars, electric power is the way to go as the country fights to clean the air by turning to emission free vehicles.

This is where Guangxi Aerospace Beidou (Aerobeidou) is aiming its line of ultra capacitors. The company is headquartered in Hong Kong but recently set up operations in China. Aerobeidou has so far secured over US$50 million in grants from the Chinese government to build a factory in Wuzhou, Guangxi province located next to the industrial heartland of Guangdong.

Guangxi is served by an inland port and has been ear marked by the Chinese government for industrialisation.

The general manager of Aerobeidou’s Wuzhou factory, Satriya Suetoh had this to say about the plant’s operational plans.

“We are on course to have the pilot line producing real products by Oct 2017. As part of our agreement for eco-friendly production, we intend to meet the local government’s requirements for waste treatment as well as conduct staff training by end 2017, this means our product line will be tuned up gradually to full production capacity in 2018.”

Aerobeidou holds the patents to a high performance slim stacked version of the ultra capacitor that will be manufactured in China. For its new operations in Guangxi, they will be utilising the Farad brand name for its line of ultra capacitors.

“Our Farad slim stacked ultra capacitors take much lesser space and without any performance restriction or degradation. What’s more, our stacked ultra capacitors allows for more flexible approach in fulfilling the required voltage for an electric motor.”

There is no one size fits all for ultra capacitors meant for electric cars at the moment.

Suetoh explains, “…each system requirement is different so our approach is to customise our ultra capacitors for different electric systems. It is not a prepackaged product that can be plugged into any electric car”. “Once we receive the electrical specification of an EV's power transmission or motor. We can then determine the voltage, initial current or power requirement. Lastly we let our power engineering team do their work to further enhance the electric vehicle system with an ultra capacitor for better performance”.

According to Suetoh, the demand for ultra capacitors is growing exponentially thanks largely to battery driven products. For example, smartphones of the future with quick charging capability rely on the use of ultra capacitors to cut the charging time to a few minutes. The same can be applied for the electric vehicle industry where the normal charging times for an electric car can possibly be reduced to less than 20 mins.

Even when the Farad line of ultra capacitors reaches full production peak at the Wuzhou factory, it would only supply less than 5 percent of the demand in China.

“The majority of the ultra capacitors will naturally be used by the domestic China market initially. As capacity increases, Farad ultra capacitors will be exported gradually,” says Suetoh. “China is already a huge market, but we have set our eyes on making the US/EU as our secondary market.”

With such high demand from the technology held solely by Aerobeidou, would they be licensing their patents for the film stacked ultra capacitors elsewhere?

“No,” clarifies Suetoh, “there are no immediate plans to license the patents to 3rd party companies. Our IP (intellectual property) is the security we need to go global.”

Farad ultra capacitors might not be a household name for now but the future is bright for Aerobeidou judging from the forecasted growth of electric vehicles both in China and around the world.

More information on Farad Ultracapacitor, visit https://farad.energy/farad-ucc/