14 DAY TRIAL // What do you do when you have two distinct devices that are used for the same purpose, but both have advantages and disadvantages? You mix them together! That's exactly what the leader of a low emission transport research company did. CSIRO has been successful in developing a innovative battery design, which would probably be used in future hybrid vehicles manufacturing.
The problem with hybrid cars, similar to that of the electric cars, is that they cannot store electric power in efficient ways. Capacitors and batteries are the preferred devices when it comes to storing electrical energy. However, both are extremely inefficient. For example, batteries can be very reliable when it comes to storing energy over long periods of time, but do not behave well after repeated recharges.
On the other hand, capacitors just love being charged and discharged, but cannot store electric energy over long periods of time. CSIRO believes that the best way to create an 'UltraBattery' would be to use both technologies at the same time and reported that the tests on the newly developed device had just been completed.
After completing a journey of over 160,000 kilometers through the U.K., the UltraBattery revealed that it has a considerably longer life than that of a conventional battery, can be produced at much lower costs and can deliver the advantages posed by both technologies. Nevertheless, there are concerns that the UltraBattery would be much more massive due to its special configuration.
CSIRO argues that this is not the case, since the UltraBattery would be virtually one unit, with the positive plate split into two halves, one for the battery and one for the capacitor. Furthermore, there is no need for special electronics to regulate the current flow between the two, as this process is controlled by the chemical reactions which take place inside the battery.
The capacitor is ideal for providing and storing large amounts of electrical power in short periods of time, such as those during short acceleration bursts and regenerative braking, while the battery will provide with a steady electrical output over long periods of time. The technology has been patented by CSIRO and will probably go into production in about two years, to be incorporated into hybrid vehicles.