MAXWELL TECHNOLOGIES Introduces 'Power' Ultracapacitor Product Line for the Automotive and Transportation Industries

New BOOSTCAP® Products Developed to Satisfy Auto and Transportation Customer Specifications For Hybrid Drive Systems, Power Network Stabilization, Cold Starting and Other Heavy-Duty Applications

San Diego, California, 1 March 2006 — Maxwell Technologies (distributor: GLYN) has announced today that it is introducing 16 new Power-type BOOSTCAP® ultracapacitor cells and multi-cell modules specifically designed and constructed for the most demanding automotive and transportation applications.

The new Power product line responds directly to customer requirements for high-efficiency, “life-of-the-vehicle” energy storage and power delivery solutions.

Maxwell’s line of six new Power-type cells includes the compact, 650-farad, BCAP0650, whose versatility and high performance make ultracapacitors a compelling alternative to battery-based solutions for all types of hybrid drive systems, idle stop-start, power network stabilization and other applications.

Automakers are turning to ultracapacitors for solutions that optimize efficiency, ensure reliable cold starting, better manage power flows, stiffen and smoothen the power distribution network and provide fail-safe backup for critical safety systems. The BCAP0650 and Maxwell’s other Power products will provide the lowest equivalent series resistance (ESR) and highest efficiency available with current ultracapacitor technology.

Other new BOOSTCAP Power products include cells ranging in capacitance from 320 to 2,600 farads and 10 fully integrated modules based on the new cells.  All of the cells with a capacitance of 650 farads or greater operate at 2.7 volts, enabling them to store more energy and deliver more power per unit volume than any other commercially available ultracapacitor products. 

All of these products will meet or exceed demanding transportation and industrial application requirements for both watt-hours of energy storage and watts of power delivery per kilogram and will perform reliably for more than one million discharge-recharge cycles.. The proprietary architecture and material science on which these product families are based also significantly reduce manufacturing cost, positioning Maxwell to compete favorably with batteries and other competing technologies.

The multi-cell modules for automotive applications encased in rugged, splash-proof aluminum chassis and include internal cell balancing that give designers “plug and play” solutions, plus module-to-module balancing that makes them versatile building blocks for systems with higher voltage requirements.

BOOSTCAP ultracapacitors deliver up to 10 times the power and longevity of batteries, require no maintenance and operate reliably in extreme temperatures.  In transportation applications, they efficiently recapture energy from braking for reuse in hybrid drive trains, reducing fuel consumption and emissions.  They also provide compact, lightweight, “life-of-the vehicle” solutions to stabilize automotive power networks and power new, all-electric subsystems, such as drive-by-wire steering.  In mission critical industrial applications, where backup power is critical for continued operation or a soft shutdown in the event of power interruptions, they provide reliable, cost-effective, maintenance-free energy storage.  In wind turbine blade pitch and braking systems and other industrial applications, they provide a simple, solid state, highly reliable, solution to buffer short-term mismatches between the power available and the power required.