I'm curious why this post was taken down recently. The project in question is still up though. The Entrepre-Know-it-Alls, what a funny name. Their product page ironically links to a competitor of EEstor, lithium-ion based Tesla.
I did not see too much that was too revealing from the disappearing post, though there were some select quotes that were new to me.
Super-capacitors introduce a discontinuous technology in that they could replace batteries for many high-voltage energy storage applications. Also they provide an attractive alternative to fossil fuels for both automobiles and stationary power storage systems.
Unlike NiMH and Ni-Cd batteries, which take hours to charge and discharge at 5-10% and 1% per day respectively, the supercapacitor discharges at a rate of .1% per 30 days.
The goal would be to partner with local utilities, municipalities, and businesses to roll out charging stations on local streets and in parking lots. Starbucks would be a specific yet non-exclusive target for this partnership. Not only do they have a nationwide presence, but we also feel that their customers are more likely to be among the early adopters of EEstor-powered vehicles. Partners would have to cover the cost of installing charging stations, and would then be able to profit from the markup on the electricity sold.
From all of that, I gather that even though Tesla is on the lithium-ion boat now, they may jump ship to the EEstor, while it charges up at your local Starbucks and McDonald's. I was under the impression from everything I read that the EEstor device was a magical block that did not release energy, but these Stanford kids have them discharging a small amount. I think Zenn is going the way of Rambus, rewarded for having ownership of significant intellectual property. Or perhaps they'll just go straight to $0.
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