Everyone has heard of lithium ion batteries.

These batteries are in our cellphones, laptops,

cameras, watches, and other gadgets. The first commercial lithium ion batteries were produced
by sony. Although they have large energy densities, they take a lot of time to recharge. On
average a laptop can take 3 hours to recharge. What if we can reduce that number to a matter
of seconds.

That's where supercapacitors come in. ​The first supercapacitor with low internal resistance was
developed in 1982 for military applications through the Pinnacle Research Institute (PRI), and
was marketed under the brand name "PRI Ultracapacitor".​ Then they thought “what if this can
be used in fast charging applications”. Supercapacitors have a very high charge and discharge
rate. It can charge and discharge within a matter of seconds, and unlike lithium ion batteries,
they virtually have unlimited recharge cycles.

Let's say we have 2 containers that store water. One is big but it has a small hole for water to
come out. The other one is small, but it has a giant hole for water to come out. The first
container represents lithium ion batteries, because they have big capacities, but they charge
and discharge slowly. The second container represents Supercapacitors, because they have
small capacities, but they charge and discharge rapidly.
Supercapacitors have energy densities of 10,000 Watts per kilogram and they can operate in
temperatures of negative 40 degrees. Lithium ion batteries have an energy density of 2000
Watts per Kilogram, and can only work in temperatures only as high as 40 degrees. .

Supercapacitors cost $2400 per Kwh and Lithium ion batteries cost $500 per Kwh, but in the
long term, supercapacitors are cheaper.
Let me explain how supercapacitors work. Supercapacitors use Electrostatics instead of
chemistry. Inside a capacitor there are 2 electrodes which are metal coated by a powdery
activated charcoal. They use charcoal because it is porus and it has a low density which makes
it an ideal material. Both the plates are soaked in an electrolyte, and they are separated by a
very thin carbon insulator. The porous electrodes are like a sponge which collects electrons.
Each electrode attracts the opposite charge, and this happens at a very fast rate. Super
Capacitors usually have a nominal voltage of 2.3 volts.

Many might ask what is the difference between a regular capacitor and a supercapacitor. A
regular capacitor stores electrical energy directly by an electrostatic field created between the
two plates. Due to this, they can't hold as much energy as supercapacitors.
Some people on the internet have said that Supercapacitors are the “next batteries”,but they are
wrong. If we want to increase the capacity of the supercapacitor, we need to expand the
separator, and by doing this the time it takes for the electrons to to cross the separator
increases, thus increasing the charge and discharge time. Scientists are trying to find alternative
materials to increase energy density of supercapacitors but not decrease charge and discharge
times. Because of this, capacitors can only work with batteries, but they can not replace them.

Recently Tesla has bought Maxwell Technologies. They are one of the best manufacturers of
supercapacitors in the world. Some people might wonder about the application of
supercapacitors in electric vehicles.

Together batteries and supercapacitors can help in fast charging EV's. An average tesla takes
12 hours to charge fully, but with supercapacitors they can charge fully in 30 minutes. They can
also regulate the power they supply for better circulation. Supercapacitors can also help in
acceleration of a car. Due to their fast discharge capability, we will be able to accelerate faster.
In many gas vehicles, and hybrid vehicles, there is an important use of supercapacitors. For
example the Mazda 3 and 6 have a system called the iloop. They use supercapacitors to store
energy that is being lost in braking. When a vehicle brakes, the energy is converted into kinetic
energy which gets stored in the supercapacitor in the form of electricity. This gives it a bit more
range.

Supercapacitors are definitely the future, but they can’t immediately replace lithium-ion
batteries.