https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a2...d-photos-info/

have you read this article? Why can't we have this thing called Supercapacitor in a Lexus? Perhaps on the next RX hybrid?

 

The energy density is too low, cost is too high, and it's main advantage, rapid discharge, really doesn't matter since you can't store enough energy to be useful in any electric only mode a RXh would be running in (among other problems.)

 

Interesting to note that Tesla recently bought a supercapacitor manufacturer. Who knows... maybe one day they will become more commonplace. In the Lambo, its really just an aid to the gas engine, but on a hybrid or pure EV it becomes more of an aid to the battery, being able to recover and then deliver a lot of power much faster than a battery could. That is one of the limitations we clearly have on the RXh, if you push more than gently on your brakes you quickly reach a limit in recoverable energy and start converting kinetic energy to heat and brake dust instead. Stepping more then very gently on the gas you release more dinosaurs to the air with only a modest boost from recovered energy!

The race to the next red light is one of the major everyday limitations of fuel economy. Imagine being able to stop quickly from 40mph, and then seconds later returning much of that energy back to speed. On our hybrids, probably 98% of the energy is wasted in this scenario. The battery can't except the charge fast enough, nor can it deliver the power back timely enough to prevent an engine start. For something like a Tesla, the battery is certainly able to accept and release energy more quickly, but a supercapacitor would open the door to better battery management and longevity. That could actually lead to cost savings if the battery didn't have to be engineered to release so much energy so quickly as is required now.

 

Capacity and the ability to provide larger current amounts go hand in hand. Not sure where the cost savings would come from.

 

In theory easy, more capacity through more cells, more current can flow. In practice though, more cells, more current, more heat. What do batteries despise with all their electrical being? Heat! What do batteries do when they get too hot, they reduce current flow, reduce power, go into limp mode (assuming the battery management doesn't let it destroy itself first). It's like hitting yourself in the foot with a stick every time you take a step. If you walk slow you hit your foot lightly, but the faster you walk the harder you hit your foot. Now, how will you run fast knowing that trying, will prevent you from running fast. Tesla is currently prepping for a record attempt at Nürburgring's Nordschleife track to see if they can crack Porche's record with their new EV sportscar. A 20km course that winds its way up and down the hills. What's the #1 challenge for Tesla, capacity, current flow? No, we know Tesla knows how to extract a lot of energy quickly. Their cars are very, very quick. What they are trying to figure out is how they can run the entire course without Chernobyling their battery. Heat management is the challenge. Buying an SC company, maybe, just maybe a solution.

The cost savings "might" come from not having to engineer batteries that require heavy cycling and sophisticated heat management strategies. By off-loading shorter moments of high energy recovery and output to a SC, the battery design no longer has to be strive for the conflicting tasks of large storage, massive rapid cycling energy exchanges, and longevity. In some ways this compares to the compromise of the Atkinson cycle engine in our hybrids. They are much more efficient, but suck at torque. Enter the electric motor. Two different things working together.

This of course is all "what if", what if an automotive SC can be successfully and cost effectively integrated into something beyond a few special use scenarios. We'll see...

 

I couldn't have said it any better. I imagine a combo battery/supercapacitor energy source along with a small inline 6 and AWD. And, while I'm at it, an e-differential in the rear too.

 

Because they are in F1 vehicles, the new Lamborghini Sian etc.. simply not cost effective.