Maxwell reaches Boostcap ultracapacitor milestone

Primary applications for the company's large-cell products, which range from 650 to 3,000 farads, include hybrid-electric transit buses, electric rail vehicles, cranes, lift trucks and other industrial systems.

Maxwell introduced its first automotive design-in for voltage stabilisation and idle-stop-start functionality in micro-hybrid autos with Tier 1 automotive supplier Continental in September 2009.

According to the company, initial series production for a European automaker is set to begin this year.

One of Maxwell's earliest large-cell customers, ISE Corporation, a California-based producer of heavy vehicle drive systems, recently announced that its ultracapacitor-based gasoline-electric hybrid bus drive systems now power nearly 300 buses in daily revenue service and have logged a total of more than 13 million operational miles.

In April 2009, Maxwell announced purchase orders with a total value of approximately USD13.5m (GBP8.3m) from three of China's bus producers for large-cell-based 48V multi-cell modules to support braking energy recuperation and torque-assist functions for about 850 diesel-electric hybrid transit buses.

'As these volumes demonstrate, ultracapacitors' high efficiency in absorbing and storing braking energy, low-maintenance requirements and long operational life have made them a mainstream energy storage solution for the demanding duty cycles of hybrid and electric transit buses and other heavy vehicles,' said David Schramm, Maxwell's president and chief executive officer.

In 2007, Maxwell established high-volume large-cell assembly capacity through a contract manufacturing alliance with Belton Technology Group, a producer of precision components with ISO-certified production facilities in China, Thailand and Malaysia.

In 2008, the assembly of large-cell-based 16-125V multi-cell ultracapacitor modules was also transitioned to Belton.

Maxwell's ultracapacitor electrode material is produced at its San Diego facility, where capacity is currently being expanded to meet anticipated volume requirements through 2011.

Maxwell offers additional Boostcap ultracapacitor products ranging from 10 to 350 farads and multi-cell modules based on those products for wind turbines, smart utility meters and a variety of other industrial, telecommunications and information-technology applications.

Boostcap ultracapacitor cells and multi-cell modules provide safe power solutions for applications in consumer and industrial electronics, transportation and telecommunications, according to Maxwell.

The company's Condis high-voltage grading and coupling capacitors help to ensure the safety and reliability of electric utility infrastructure and other applications involving the transport, distribution and measurement of high-voltage electrical energy.

Its radiation-mitigated microelectronic products include power modules, memory modules and single-board computers that incorporate commercial silicon.