[Revi]

Do you think the Zenn is really going to come out in 2009 with the EEstor system?

I think it would be awesome, but I have my doubts about it actually working as claimed.

http://www.autobloggreen.com/category/zenn

It sounds like Clifford is hedging his bets now.

[TomSaidak]

EESTOR has delivered SOME ultracapacitors. As to their impact, see http://www.afstrinity.net/afstrinity-xh ... elease.pdf. In short, the initial use would be to protect batteries from peak drains, thus avoiding damage. It also helps deliver that extra "oomph" when you suddenly floor the accelerator. The other big impact is that you can recharge more efficiently - the generator doesn't have to step down its output, so the motor attached to the generator can run at peak efficiency. As for adding to cost, the AFS folks claim that turning the Lexus SUV into an extreme hybrid adds $8,300.00 to the production cost.

I too am looking foward to seeing them actually in a Zenn. I have a Prius and I would love to put a few in it just to improve my mileage.

[mos6507]

The AFS trinity doesn't use EESTOR ultracaps. The existing ultracaps on the market can't be used as batteries. Even a large bank of them would only be good for drag racing.

[TomSaidak]

Thanks for the correction. Sigh, to err is human, but to really fould up requires computers. And I have five of them in my house.....

And yes, you are right. The idea as I understand it isn't to replace the battery pack, but to protect and augment it. It works by preventing the batteries from having to deliver full power by using the ultracaps to deliver short term peak power.


Every problem has its solution, and every solution has its problems...

[TheAntiDoomer]

The latest:

Lockheed, EEStor Working On Body Armor With Energy Unit

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')dd another log to the rumors igniting around energy storage startup EEStor. According to a patent application with World Intellectual Property Organization that was recently published online (via bariumtitanate.blogspot.com), military-industrial giant Lockheed Martin is researching developing body armor and utility garments that could include using EEStor’s energy solution (page 7 of the application).

[EnergyUnlimited]

So, what do you think about current claims of EEStor?
They are stating that their ultracapacitor based electricity storage systems ready for EV use are going to be demonstrated in public by end of this year.

[TheAntiDoomer]

I think the best evidence is Lockheed Martin's involvement. They do not get involved in such things without doing due diligence.

[EnergyUnlimited]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TheAntiDoomer', 'I') think the best evidence is Lockheed Martin's involvement. They do not get involved in such things without doing due diligence.

[Carlhole]

Here's a guy whose full-time job it is to answer such questions as prospects for EEstor's new capacitor:

Game Changing Battery Technology: Is it Here Now?

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') hate to sound like a shill or a naive optimist. But I must say that it is looking to me like such a new technology could well be fairly near at hand. The technology is being developed by EEstor, a start-up company financed by a first-tier venture investment firm. I’ve written about EEstor and it’s minority owner, Zenn Motors several times in the past. I’ve noted that Zenn is an interesting speculation given the buy-in to EEstor by some very impressive people (Kleiner, Perkins and Lockheed Martin) and given that the upside potential for success would be so huge that is hard to even conceptualize. I’ve owned some modest positions in Zenn in nearly all my portfolios for about six months purely as a speculation. As with any speculation, you have to be willing to see your entire investment go down the drain if EEstor’s ESU turns out to be a dud for any reason.

Well, now I’m upping my stake in Zenn based on several recent developments. One is EEstor’s release of testing data indicating performance characteristics that exceed their objectives. A second reason is Zenn’s decision to exercise its option to invest an additional $700,000 to increases its ownership interest in EEstor from about 3.8% to over 10%. Zenn based their decision on independent analysis of EEstor’s test data. Zenn’s choice adds enormously to its potential value if EEstor pays off. Zenn also has rights to certain transportation uses of the EEstor USU.

The third factor in my decision to increase what is still a highly speculative “investment” is the release to the internet of an audio interview with EEstor CEO, Steve Weir. EEstor has been extremely quiet about it’s progress for the past few years. In fact it is known to some as a “stealth company” - in other words a company that is trying to avoid publicity. Now some enormously optimistic projections and background information has been leaked to the public via this audio interview. I’ve posted below a report of the interview by allcarselectric.com.

[MD]

Dig through the forums and you'll find eestor mentioned a couple years ago. It was pretty much shouted down like everything else.

It may be a viable energy storage technology after all, it appears. That's nice.

[Spanktron9]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('EnergyUnlimited', 'S')o, what do you think about current claims of EEStor? They are stating that their ultracapacitor based electricity storage systems ready for EV use are going to be demonstrated in public by end of this year.

[kmann]

Capacitors are useful for their high power density, as opposed to say lead-acid batteries which have high energy density. You can run a lot of current into and out of them, and efficiently. It's more difficult to get them to hold enough energy to be useful for an EV. Maybe some kind of hybrid solution would work. Capacitors for acceleration and energy recapture, and batteries for higher energy storage.
Like all other EV claims, this will be wait and see.

[Nano]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Spanktron9', 'T')hey have been making that "end of year" claim since at least 2006. If their claims are true, it is nearly the "holy grail" of energy storage and ALL green sustainable energy projects will take off tremendously as it allows for cheap, abundant electrical storage and discharge.

Currently, I remain in the shenanigans camp.

[Graeme]

Leaked Conversation Suggests EEStor's Battery-Killing Ultracapacitor Is Nearly Complete

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')e've been closely following EEStor's potentially game-changing ultracapacitor--a technology that could allow for electric cars that charge almost instantaneously and drive hundreds of miles on a single charge.

And if a purportedly "leaked" phone conversation from EEStor CEO Richard Weir currently making the rounds is legit, the long-in-development ultracapacitor has hit a breakthrough, and could be unveiled within months.

If all of its perceived potential is delivered, the ultracapacitor could revolutionize everything from electric cars to renewable energy storage, providing a long-awaited evolutionary step beyond current rechargeable battery tech.

EEStor's ultracapacitor works more or less exactly like the capacitors found in electronics today, briefly holding and releasing small charges, only on a much larger scale; it would be able rapidly take on enough juice to power a car for 250-300 miles within a matter of minutes, EEStor claims. It could also be used to store renewable energy generated by solar and wind plants more efficiently.

[Carlhole]

EEStor CEO says game-changing energy storage device coming by 2010

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')f the Texas company EEStor is running a scam, it’s a frakking brilliant one. For years the otherwise tight-lipped outfit has been promising a capacitor that can quickly charge, quickly discharge, and hold enormous amounts of energy—on all accounts, performance far beyond any battery on the market, or even contemplated. If it performs as promised, the EESU (Electrical Energy Storage Unit) will revolutionize the electric vehicle market. It will enable cost-effective, high-capacity storage for renewable electricity sources. It can radically increase the utility of portable electronics. It would be an honest-to-god game changer.

[TheAntiDoomer]

Hey Carlhole,

Be careful in using Steorn and Eestor in the same paragraph. Steorn was not based on any real science, whereas the EESTOR technology is based on scientifically known principles.

[Carlhole]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TheAntiDoomer', 'H')ey Carlhole, Be careful in using Steorn and Eestor in the same paragraph. Steorn was not based on any real science, whereas the EESTOR technology is based on scientifically known principles.

[vaseline2008]

Hard to tell, why would Zenn Motors give them $700,000 for 10% in EEStor? BTW, Zenn Motor stock jumped quite a bit yesterday on no news. ZNNMF or ZNN.V

[TheAntiDoomer]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vaseline2008', 'H')ard to tell, why would Zenn Motors give them $700,000 for 10% in EEStor? BTW, Zenn Motor stock jumped quite a bit yesterday on no news. ZNNMF or ZNN.V

[drew]

I've got some Zenn stock. There is an excellent forum, TheEEstory.com, where much of this is debated. I'm in the camp of 'maybe'. I'm taking a fairly calculated gamble. It is either huge win or lose a modest investment.

BTW the 700K was a milestone payment, for passing the permittivity testing. That 'pass' opened up the opportunity for Zenn to move their ownership to 10% which they did. The purchase was several million dollars.

There are some huge issues with the physics, but I absolutely don't believe this is a scam. Dick Weir may be deluded, or unable to commercialize his powders, but he is not a scammer. He has simply written too many patents. I get lost in the physics but not the chemistry, when reading them.

Drew