Link: Technology Review: Battery Breakthrough?.
According to the president of Eestor, Inc. (the company does not have a Web site at this writing) - this new technology - combining a new battery technology with a breakthrough in ultracapacitors - could change the landscape of battery-powered transportation. The combination supposedly creates a battery-device that delivers 10X the power per pound of a standard lead-acid battery. At half the cost, and presumably with fast re-charge times. It's based on a ceramic form of barium-titanate powders.
One thing you hate to hear in these "breakthrough" situations is the company described as a "secretive Texas startup" - or any kind of secretive startup, really. So often the results of such efforts prove to be disappointments. This above-linked article in Technology Review lists some of the concerns of skeptics, including the ability of the capacitor to hold its charge for a practical time-period, and the robustness of the ceramic material of which the active elements are comprised. But many people are excited about a disruptive change in the battery landscape - if ever there was an opportunity for a major leap, it is portable power. And the story has survived now for more than a year - so, short of a live demo - the concept at least has legs.
Thanks to Matt Howard for contributing this tip!
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