[LINK] 'Electrical Energy Storage Unit'

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

I'll bet (hope) solar panels, teamed with an eesu, become a common item ..

 <http://www.naturalnews.com/023063.html>

. Texas-based EEStor is not exactly proposing a new battery, since no 
chemicals are used. The technology is based on the idea of a solid state 
Ultracapacitor, but cannot be accurately described in these terms either.

Ultracapacitors have an advantage over electrochemical batteries (i.e. 
lithium-ion technology) in that they can absorb and release a charge 
virtually instantaneously with virtually no deterioration. 

Batteries trump ultracapacitors in their ability to store much larger 
amounts of energy at any given time.

EEStor's take on the ultracapacitor -- called the Electrical Energy 
Storage Unit, or EESU -- combines the best of both worlds. 

The advance is based on a barium-titanate insulator claimed to increase 
the specific energy far beyond that achievable with today's ultracapacitor 
technology. 

It is claimed that this new advance allows for a specific energy of about 
280 watts per kilogram -- more than double that of the most advanced 
lithium-ion technology, and ten times that of lead-acid batteries. 

This could translate into an electric vehicle capable of traveling up to 
500 miles on a five minute charge, compared with current battery 
technology which offers an average 50-100 range on an overnight charge. 

As if that weren't enough, the company claims they will be able to mass-
produce the units at a fraction of the cost.

"It's a paradigm shift," said Ian Clifford of ZENN Motor Co., an early 
investor and exclusive rights-holder for use of the technology in electric 
cars. 

"The Achilles' heel to the electric car industry has been energy storage. 
By all rights, this would make internal combustion engines unnecessary."

But this small electric car company isn't the only organization banking on 
the new technology. Lockheed-Martin, the world's largest defense 
contractor, has also signed on with EEStor for use of the technology in 
military applications. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, an investment 
firm who counts Google and Amazon among their early-stage successes, has 
also invested heavily in the company.

While these associations have lent merit to the claims, skeptics 
abound. "We've been trying to make this type of thing for 20 years and no 
one has been able to do it. Depending on who you believe, they're at or 
beyond the limit of what is possible," said Robert Hebner of the 
University of Texas Center for Electromechanics.

The company claims the technology can be scaled up or down for virtually 
any application, from pacemakers to use in the renewable energy sector 
(think solar panels). If it comes to fruition, the technology could 
revolutionize virtually every aspect of energy storage. 

Further, because it is based on a solid state design and not dependent on 
chemicals, the technology would be extremely safe, environmentally 
friendly, and benefit from an unparalleled lifespan.

Zenn's Ian Clifford has visited EEStor's upcoming production facility in 
Cedar Park, Texas on several occasions. "To be very clear, this is not a 
lab that they are building. It is a full, state of the art production 
facility that is nearing completion, and we remain very pleased with their 
progress," he boasts.

After several delays, EEStor plans to roll out the first production units 
later this year, and Zenn hopes to have cars utilizing the technology on 
the road by Fall 2009.
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Cheers people
Stephen Loosley
Victoria, Australia