New energy for stop-start tech: Supercapacitors give quick power bursts

摘要

After years of incubation in the laboratory, supercapacitors finally are emerging as a mass-market alternative to conventional batteries to power stop-start systems. Supercapacitors are energy-storage devices that, unlike batteries, provide short but very high-energy bursts of power - ideal for restarting an engine when the motorist lifts his or her foot off the brake. This month, General Motors is rolling out 2016 model year Cadillac ATS and CTS sedans equipped with stop-start systems featuring supercapacitors produced by Maxwell Technologies, a company based in San Diego. Maxwell, a Tier 2 supplier, is shipping its supercapacitors to Continental AG, which is integrating them into an energy management system.