Electricity storage Ne plus ultra

A new version of an old idea is threatening the battery industry

PUT the pedal to the metal in the XH-150


In fact the XH-150 is a three-way hybrid, employing a petrol engine and conventional lithium-ion batteries as well as its special capacitors. An overnight charge gives it an all-electric range of 40 miles (60km), after which the petrol engine needs to come into play. AFS Trinity says the vehicle is capable of more than 80mph and returns the equivalent of 150 miles per gallon (more than 60km/litre) in normal use. Edward Furia, the firm’s chief executive, reckons the extra kit would add around $8,700 to the price of a petrol-only vehicle were it put into mass production.

This, however, may be only the start. Eventually, the so-called ultracapacitors on which the XH-150 is based may supplant rather than merely supplement a car’s batteries. And if that happens, a lot of other batteries may be for the chop, too. For it is possible that the long and expensive search for a better battery to power the brave, new, emission-free electrical world has been following the wrong trail.

The Economist