This is important progress,
If they (CSIRO) say its tested and 'refined' etc you can believe it.
While R&D in the "Others has been focused on similar issues of charge rate, cycle rating power density, CSIRO see to have approached the matter directly using existing technology.
The advantage with this approach is that there is a preexisting well defined tech to which some predictable solutions have been added. Then send Murphy on a short holiday and no surprise they have a winner.

One would expect that the principle will (and has) find application in various forms and have potential in other battery chemistries.
OUI.

I hope no one minds this cut and paste,(see others in Wind Turbine applications) it most clearly expresses how the concept works for me.
You may need to add a little imagination to see it in its hybrid car application.
arn
Keywords:
DC-DC buck/boost converter • electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) • energy capacitor system (ECS) • exponential moving average (EMA) • pitch controller • voltage source converter (VSC) • wind energy

In this paper, it is reported that energy capacitor system (ECS), which combines power electronic devices and electric double-layer capacitor, can significantly decrease voltage and power fluctuations of grid-connected fixed-speed wind generator. The proper selection of wind farm output power reference is still a problem for smoothing the wind farm output power. This paper proposes exponential moving average to generate the reference output power of a grid-connected wind farm. The objective of the control system is to follow the line power reference by absorbing or providing real power to or from the ECS. Moreover, the necessary reactive power can also be supplied to keep the wind farm terminal voltage at the desired reference level. Real wind speed data were used in the simulation analyses, which validate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy. Simulation results clearly show that our proposed ECS can be suitable for wind power application. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/117870833/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

This type of battery should be well suited to micro- and mild hybrid applications, which IMHO will represent the bulk of the global hybrid market segment in 5-10 years. Not everyone shares US consumers' apparent preference for a risky and expensive quantum leap in drivetrain technology. There's nothing wrong with improving fuel economy by e.g. 5% across many product lines, rather than shoot for massive improvements in just a select few.

I'd characterize this as a step up from the absorbent glass mat (AGM) lead-acid batteries that e.g. BMW use in their vehicles and, as a potential competitor for Firefly's technology.

I saw figures relative to other non-specified batteries, but what is the energy density and where can we see a DoD cycle chart? Temperature and other aspects would be helpful too.

what kind of issue treehugger?

Will,
I dont know of any full range 'product spec sheets'. There must be any no of possible configurations depending on application.
As they dont yet have commercial production,(CSIRO stands for Commonwealth Scientific Industry Research Organisation) Their forte is not marketing or production.They partner with industry on a commercial basis rather like Universities would (in the US)
This report has at least one reference in the form you require.

http://www.rega.com.au/Documents/2007%20Forum/Presentations/John_wright.pdf

Better than existing lead acid batteries for hybrid cars, but many important questions remain unanswered, like:

1. Cost difference per kWh compared with standard lead acid (might be cheaper to add a supercap to achieve the same power/cycle performance).
2. calendar life, compared with NiMH
3. Energy density compared with standard lead acid
4. Low temp performance (-20 to -30 oC) - ultracaps are very good in those conditions, lead acid batts usually lose capacity

If it was available 5 years ago, could have made commercial success, in two years LiIon are likely to dominate.

I polished my crystal ball and saw a huge market for battery power trucks in Asia. In some cities it feels like every other vehicle is a small ladder frame truck. It's hard for them to drive more than 100 miles a day.

Someone at Furukawa battery has Yen dancing before his eyes.

Might this ULTRA BATTERY be in the new 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid? Pls email answer: [email protected]

Thanks!

Sell or give away single cells of these batteries. Firefly is dead without a single garden tool battery sold. Where did all the money go. ..HG..