When will the super battery capaciter come out

Question

I've heard some rumors on a battery that charges in ten seconds and will power a small device for eight hours. Apparently it works somewhat like a capacitor. The word is apple might use this in their next ipod. Whats the news with this new battery? When will it be available to the public?

Answer 1

Google ultracapacitor or supercapacitor.  Wiki has a nice starting point.  They are available already from most electronic houses like Allied and Gerber etc.  I've seen them available up to 300 farads.  Problem is the voltages are very low, typically 2.5 vdc.  And banking up a bunch to make a big one requires careful matching of parameters.

A company called EEstor is suposedly solving the voltage problem by using barium titanate as the dielectric.  But last time I checked their website is under construction so I don't know if the guy's onto something or what.

I think one of the Japanese car companies used them for capturing the braking energy as the capacitor can charge fast compared to a battery.

Answer 2

it will probably be availiable for the general public whenever they refine a sufficient quanity of unobtainium to be used as the insulating material.