Electrode Improvements Could Put Ultracapacitors On Par With Batteries.

Technology Review (5/4) reports that Nanotune, a California-based startup company, says it "has developed a way to make electrodes that results in ultracapacitors with five to seven times as much storage capacity as conventional ones." This, the company says, would put its ultracapacitors roughly on par with batteries, with the potential to eventually exceed the energy storage of batteries. In tests using different types of electrolytes, the company says it has achieved storage levels of 20-35 watt-hours per kilogram. "At 40 watt-hours per kilogram, the ultracapacitors would be an improvement over the batteries used in some hybrid vehicles," Technology Review notes.