However, they reported, a curved graphene sheet morphology appears to be capable of preventing graphene sheets from closely restacking with one another when they are packed or compressed into an electrode structure, thereby maintaining a mesoporous structure having a pore size in the range of 2 to 25 nm, improving performance.

Currently there are 5 million vehicles worldwide with ultracapacitors on the roads. Having tested curved graphene ultracapacitors I firmly believe there is a strong potential for market growth and the near-term focus will be on 12V and 48V hybrid vehicles.

—Dr. Scott Jorgensen

Skeleton says that its use of curved graphene is one of the key factors in achieving the superior energy density of its ultracapacitors. Skeleton says that the electrical conductivity of its curved graphene is almost seven times better than that of regular activated carbons. As a result, the power density of SkelCap ultracapacitors exceeds competitors’ products by a factor of four, the company says.

Skeleton Technologies has also achieved one of the lowest ESR (equivalent series resistance) levels on the market. This factor is crucial as it greatly increases the efficiency of the cells by reducing the amount of energy that is lost as heat. This is also an advantage because cooling systems can be downsized or removed altogether.

We have recently invested 42 million Euros to support manufacturing scale-up, and successfully commercialized graphene-based ultracapacitors in trucks, buses, and grid applications. Naturally, the automotive market is the next step in our company road map. With Dr. Jorgensen’s in-depth understanding of both automotive and clean energy sectors, we will accelerate the company’s path to become a global market leader in providing ultracapacitors and energy saving modules for the automotive industry.

—Skeleton Technologies CEO Taavi Madiberk

Jorgensen served as Technical Fellow in General Motors R&D labs until July 2017. He started his career as a Researcher at General Motors after gaining his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University in 1985.

Having investigated power issues arising from conventional and alternative fuels, he looked in great depth at onboard hydrogen storage issues and fuel cell development for the automotive industry.

Since 2012 he has been a member of the USABC (United States Advanced Battery Consortium) where he provided guidance on how to transition from product research to full commercial implementation.

Dr. Jorgensen will provide advice to Skeleton Technologies Board on strategies for the company’s future product research, development, production, and commercialization in the automotive sector.

Resources

• Chenguang Liu, Zhenning Yu, David Neff, Aruna Zhamu, and Bor Z. Jang (2010) “Graphene-Based Supercapacitor with an Ultrahigh Energy Density” Nano Letters 10 (12), 4863-4868 doi: 10.1021/nl102661q