Supercapacitor

Asst. Prof. (Steve) Cuong Dang with a handful of tamarind pod shell fragments, which were converted into carbon nanosheets via a process known as pyrolysis

Environment

Scientists convert tamarind waste into energy storage material for EVs

Along with their batteries, many electric cars now utilize supercapacitors for tasks such as quickly delivering power while accelerating. Thanks to new research, a key component of such devices could soon be made from waste tamarind shells.

Energy

Hybrid supercapacitor offers NiMH energy density, charges much faster

Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology have added another hybrid supercapacitor design to the mix, promising the near-instant charge and discharge of a supercap with vastly improved energy storage on par with NiMH batteries.

A prototype of the plant-based supercapacitor developed at Texas A&M University

Energy

Plant-based supercapacitor keeps costs low and energy storage high

Texas A&M University researchers have developed a plant-based supercapacitor with excellent electrochemical performance, demonstrating how sustainable materials can be used to develop more eco-friendly energy storage solutions.

Scientists at the University of California, Riverside have come up with a new technique to turn plastic bottles into a material for supercapacitors

Energy

Upcycling technique turns plastic bottles into supercapacitor material

Were key components for supercapactirors to come from sustainable sources that would only add to their appeal, and scientists are offering up this possibility in the form of a nanomaterial made from upcycled plastic waste.

Electronics

Smart bricks store energy in the walls themselves

Boring old bricks might not seem like something that can really be made high-tech, but researchers keep proving us wrong. Now, a team has found a way to turn bricks into energy storage devices, using them to power a green LED in a proof of concept study.

The Sian, and its new Roadster variant, are most powerful Lamborghinis ever made, at 819 horsepower

Automotive

Lamborghini lifts the lid on a supercapacitor-enhanced Sian Roadster

The outrageously-styled Sian is Lamborghini's most powerful supercar in history, aided by a supercapacitor hybrid powertrain. Now, it's back as a roofless Roadster that's somehow even sexier – but don't get your hopes up, it's sold out.

These forest-like rows of carbon nanotubes were created on an elastomer substrate that was pre-stretched in one direction and then allowed to contract. This process creates stretchable supercapacitors that hold more charge in less space and remain functional even when stretched to eight times their original size

Energy

Stretchable supercapacitors pave the way for super-flexy power sources

We've seen flexible supercapacitor designs before, but how about one that's stretchable? A new discovery by researchers at Duke University and Michigan State University could lead to an excellent stretchable power source for wearable electronics.

Toomen's high-density hybrid power capacitors offer the density of lithium batteries, but with much greater charge and discharge rates, a massive range of safe operating temperatures, enormous lifespans and no danger of explosion

Energy

High-density hybrid powercapacitors: A new frontier in the energy race

Hybrid "power capacitors" that can store as much energy as lithium batteries, but with much higher charging rates and a huge range of safe operating temperatures are already in production, says a small Belgian company that's been testing them.

Energy

Researchers achieve a 10x supercapacitor energy density breakthrough

They charge much faster than lithium batteries, they can put out massive power, and they last thousands of cycles with minimal deterioration. This energy density breakthrough could bring supercapacitors into the EV and consumer tech worlds.

The wild, hubless Nawa Racer offers massive range and acceleration at low weight and cost thanks to an ultracapacitor hybrid energy system

Motorcycles

Nawa's ultracapacitor-hybrid e-moto radically boosts power and range

This sweet-looking electric motorcycle has a relatively small, lightweight 9-kWh battery, and yet it boasts a 300-km (186-mi) urban range and superbike-level acceleration thanks to an ultracapacitor hybrid system unlike anything we've seen before.

Sensual curves meet jagged angles in the remarkable Sian, Lamborghini's first hybrid and the first car in production history to use a supercapacitor hybrid system

Automotive

Lamborghini Sián: The first supercapacitor supercar

Lamborghini Sián couples a screaming, naturally aspirated V12 engine with a supercapacitor-based secondary electric system.

These carbon nanotube ultra-capacitors could have radical repercussions in the electric vehicle world, boosting power, range and efficiency

Automotive

Ultra-capacitor hybrid radically boosts power and efficiency of lithium batteries

Combining the unique strengths of lithium batteries with crazy-fast charging, carbon ultra-capacitors could save a ton of weight and add significant range and power to electric vehicles, according to this fascinating French startup.