This report has been updated. Click here to view latest edition.

If you have previously purchased the archived report below then please use the download links on the right to download the files.

Supercapacitor / Ultracapacitor Strategies and Emerging Applications 2013-2025

Electrochemical Double Layer Capacitors & Supercabatteries (AEDLC): Supplier & User Appraisal, Advances Creating Markets to 2025

Updated in October 2013
Show All Description Contents, Table & Figures List FAQs Pricing Related Content
Traditionally, rechargeable batteries have been used as energy dense products and the other devices based on capacitors have been used as power dense products. There are more-power-dense versions of the favourite rechargeable batteries - lithium-ion with 70% or so of the rechargeable battery market in 2023. Unfortunately, power dense rechargeable batteries surrender a lot of energy density. It is therefore helpful that more and more energy dense supercapacitors and variants are becoming available, some even matching lead acid batteries and yet retaining excellent power density. This convergence of properties has led to the widespread combination of the two in parallel, particularly in power applications. Battery/supercapacitor combinations approach the performance of an ideal battery - something that can never be achieved with a battery alone because its chemical reactions cause movement, swelling and eventually irreversability. In some cases, things have gone further. For example, hybrid buses using supercapacitors now rarely use them across the traction battery - the supercapacitor replaces the battery, the only battery remaining in the vehicle being a small lead-acid starter battery.
 
Incidence of manufacturers of various types of supercapacitor and variant by operating principle
 
 
Source: IDTechEx
 
Many more supercapacitor variants are now available. There is now almost a continuum of devices between conventional electrolytic capacitors and rechargeable batteries as we explain in the report. The analysis of 80 manufacturers and putative manufacturers reveals, for example, how battery manufacturers and conventional capacitor manufacturers are entering the business of devices intermediate between the two. However, rather surprisingly, most of the intermediate devices are developed and manufactured by companies not in either conventional capacitors or batteries. Although we use the term intermediate devices, some have some properties superior to both conventional capacitors and rechargeable batteries.
Free Electric Vehicle Encyclopedia when you purchase this report
Electric Vehicle experts IDTechEx have encapsulated over ten years of research and analysis into an easy to digest electric vehicle encyclopedia. All the technologies are covered and supported with over 100 tables and illustrations and over 200 acronyms and terms are explained. This encyclopedia, worth $1,500, is given as a free PDF download when you buy this report.
Analyst access from IDTechEx
All report purchases include up to 30 minutes telephone time with an expert analyst who will help you link key findings in the report to the business issues you're addressing. This needs to be used within three months of purchasing the report.
Further information
If you have any questions about this report, please do not hesitate to contact our report team at research@IDTechEx.com or call one of our sales managers:

AMERICAS (USA): +1 617 577 7890
ASIA (Japan and Korea): +81 3 3216 7209
EUROPE (UK) +44 1223 812300
1.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
1.1.Supercapacitors and batteries converge
1.1.Some of the options and some of the suppliers in the spectrum between conventional capacitors and rechargeable batteries with primary markets shown in yellow
1.1.Main achievements and objectives with supercapacitors and their derivatives by number of manufacturers and putative manufacturers involved
1.1.1.Supercapacitors and Li-ion Batteries are one business
1.2.Supercapacitor technology roadmap including lithium-ion capacitors (AEDLC) 2013-2023
1.2.Examination of achievement and strategy in the most important applicational sectors. Number of manufacturers of supercapacitors and their variants that have that have supplied given sectors vs number that target them for future ex
1.2.Success by application and territory
1.3.Most are chasing area improvement
1.3.Probable timeline for market adoption by sector and technical achievements driving the growth of the market for supercapacitors and their derivatives 2013-2025 with market value projections for supercapacitors, cost and performanc
1.3.The ten advances that will create the largest add-on markets for supercapacitors and their derivatives in order of importance in creating market value with examples of organisations leading the advance
1.4.15 examples of component displacement by supercapacitors in 2012-3
1.4.Some of the main ways in which greater supercapacitor energy density is being sought by the route of increasing useful carbon area per unit volume or weight
1.4.Even lower temperature
1.5.Price and functional issues
1.5.The main functions that supercapacitors will perform over the coming decade
1.5.Supercapacitor functions reaching major market acceptance 2013-2023 with some of the companies leading the success by sector
1.6.80 manufacturers, putative manufacturers and commercial companies developing supercapacitors, supercabatteries and carbon-enhanced lead batteries for commercialisation with country, website and device technology.
1.6.Examples of the main functions performed by supercapacitors
1.6.Supercapacitors increase range of electric vehicles
1.7.Supercapacitors in vehicles
1.7.Main functions performed by supercapacitors in electric vehicles
1.7.1.Conventional vehicles
1.7.2.Electric vehicles
1.8.The evolution from conventional to various types of electric vehicle related to supercapacitor applications in them today, where hybrids and pure electric versions are a primary target
1.8.Incidence of the different technologies
1.8.1.Incidence of manufacturers by operating principle
1.8.2.Incidence of current collector and active electrode types
1.8.3.Electrolytes
1.8.4.Solid electrolytes
1.9.Achieving the impossible
1.9.Possible timeframe and technology for reaching the tipping point for sales of pure electric on-road cars
1.10.The number of manufacturers and putative manufacturers of supercapacitors/supercabatteries by six sub-categories of technology
1.10.Manufacturers and putative manufacturers
1.11.New entrants
1.11.Incidence of manufacturers of various types of supercapacitor and variant by operating principle
1.12.Component displacement mapped as a function of benefits relative to batteries conferred by supercapacitors
1.12.Supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries are now one business
1.13.Change of leadership of the global value market?
1.13.Estimate of the number of trading manufacturers of supercapacitors and supercabatteries globally 1993-2025 including timing of industry shakeout.
2.INTRODUCTION
2.1.Types of capacitor
2.2.Symmetric supercapacitor EDLC left compared with asymmetric AEDLC ie supercabattery with battery-like cathode (ie part electrochemical in action) shown right. During charge and discharge, the voltage is nearly constant resulting i
2.2.Some of the pros and cons of supercapacitors
2.3.Symmetric supercapacitor EDLC compared with asymmetric AEDLC ie supercabattery with lithiated carbon anode (ie entirely electrostatic in action) shown right
2.4.Eight families of option and some of the suppliers in the spectrum between conventional capacitors and rechargeable batteries with primary markets shown in yellow
3.ADVANCES REQUIRED AND PROGRESS IDENTIFIED
3.1.The main functions that supercapacitors will perform over the coming decade
3.1.Advances that will create the largest add-on markets for supercapacitors and their derivatives by value in order of importance with examples of organisations leading the advance.
3.1.Supercapacitors in vehicles
3.2.Ensuring that supercapacitors will replace more batteries
3.2.Examples of component displacement by supercapacitors.
3.2.Examples of the main functions performed by supercapacitors. Those in black are currently only achieved with a flammable, carcinogenic electrolyte - acrylonitrile - but this will change
3.3.The evolution from conventional to various types of electric vehicle related to supercapacitor applications in them today, where hybrids and pure electric versions are a primary target.
3.4.Possible timeframe and technology for reaching the tipping point for sales of pure electric on-road cars
3.5.Component displacement mapped as a function of benefits relative to batteries conferred by supercapacitors
3.6.Siemens view in 2012 of the elements of Electrical Bus Rapid Transit eBRT, for example, mentioning U-Caps meaning supercapacitors
4.APPLICATIONS NOW AND IN THE FUTURE
4.1.Examples of applications of the ULTIMO Cell
4.1.Supercapacitor functions reaching major market acceptance 2013-2023 with some of the companies leading the success by sector
4.1.Pulse Power
4.2.Bridge Power
4.2.Structural supercapacitor as flexible film.
4.3.Primary demand for energy storage for battery-like products in Europe in 2020, which will be satisfied by batteries, supercapacitors, intermediate products and combinations of these
4.3.Main Power
4.4.Memory Backup
4.4.East Penn Deca Ultra Battery in Honda hybrid car
4.4.1.Evolution of commercially successful functions
4.4.2.Composite structural and smart skin supercapacitors for power storage
4.5.Manufacturer successes and strategies by application
4.5.Heter Electronics supercapacitors from China
4.6.Supercapacitors increase range of electric vehicles
5.SURVEY OF 80 MANUFACTURERS
5.1.Incidence of the different technologies
5.1.80 manufacturers, putative manufacturers and commercial companies developing supercapacitors, supercabatteries and carbon-enhanced lead batteries for commercialisation with country, website and device technology.
5.2.Number of manufacturers offering the various supercapacitor technologies including derivatives, some companies having several options
5.3.Estimate of the number of trading manufacturers of supercapacitors and supercabatteries globally 1993-2025 including timing of industry shakeout.
6.ACHIEVEMENTS AND OBJECTIVES BY MANUFACTURER
6.1.By application, for Automotive, Aerospace, Military and Oil & Gas, the successes by 78 supercapacitor/supercabattery manufacturers in grey green and their targets for extra applications in the near term in yellow. Six sub categori
6.2.The successes in six categories in the Utility sector by 78 supercapacitor/supercabattery manufacturers in grey green and their targets for extra applications in the near term in yellow
6.3.The successes by 78 supercapacitor/supercabattery manufacturers in the Consumer and Industrial & Commercial sectors in grey green and their targets for extra applications in the near term in yellow. Eight sub-categories are analys
7.EXAMPLES OF NON-COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
7.1.Non-commercial supercapacitor developers with their country, website, industrial partner, applications targeted
8.MATERIALS, PROCESSES AND MANUFACTURERS
8.1.Electrolytes used - acetonitrile solvent, other solvent or ionic liquid - by supercapacitor and lithium supercabattery manufacturers and putative manufacturers.
8.1.Electrolytes by manufacturer
8.2.Electrode materials and formation processes
9.INTERVIEWS AND COMMENTARY ON COMPANY STRATEGY FOR SUPERCAPACITORS
9.1.UltrabatteryTM for medium hybrid vehicles
9.1.Interviews with suppliers
9.1.1.Cap-XX Australia
9.1.2.Cellergy Israel
9.1.3.East Penn Manufacturing USA
9.1.4.Elton Super Capacitor Russian Federation
9.1.5.Inmatech USA
9.1.6.Ioxus USA
9.1.7.JR Micro Japan
9.1.8.Maxwell Technologies USA
9.1.9.Nanotune Technologies USA
9.1.10.Nesscap Energy Inc Canada/Korea
9.1.11.Nichicon Japan
9.1.12.Nippon ChemiCon/ United ChemiCon Japan
9.1.13.Yo-Engineering Russian Federation
9.1.14.Yunasko Russian Federation
9.2.Inmatech Innovations
9.2.User interviews and inputs
9.2.1.Bombardier Canada
9.2.2.Hydrogenics Corporation USA
9.2.3.Honda Japan and Nippon Chemi-Con Japan
9.3.Supercapacitor market and Inmatech
9.4.Maxwell Technologies flat supercapacitor for mobile phones etc. exhibited at EVS26 Los Angeles
9.5.Nichicon supercapacitor emphasis at EVS26 Los Angeles 2012
9.6.Supercapacitor-based electric vehicle fast charging stations launched in 2012 by Nichicon.
9.7.Mazda car supercapacitor exhibited at EVS26 Los Angeles 2012
9.8.Nippon Chemi-Con low resistance DXE Series priority shown in 2012
9.9.Exhibit by United ChemiCon at EVS26 Los Angeles
10.DEVELOPER, MATERIALS SUPPLIER AND ACADEMIC INPUTS
10.1.Daikin Industries Japan
10.1.Daikin Industries display on fluorination of supercapacitor electrolytes
10.2.Extracts from Hutchinson presentation at eCarTec Munich October 2012
10.2.Hutchinson (TOTAL) France
10.3.IFEVS Italy
10.4.Northeastern University USA
10.5.NYSERDA grants reveal trends of research
10.6.Tecate Group USA
10.7.Yuri Gogotski
APPENDIX 1: IDTECHEX PUBLICATIONS AND CONSULTANCY
APPENDIX 2: SUPERCAPACITOR FLASH CHARGING OF ABB BUS
TABLES
FIGURES
 

About IDTechEx reports

What are the qualifications of the people conducting IDTechEx research?

Content produced by IDTechEx is researched and written by our technical analysts, each with a PhD or master's degree in their specialist field, and all of whom are employees. All our analysts are well-connected in their fields, intensively covering their sectors, revealing hard-to-find information you can trust.

How does IDTechEx gather data for its reports?

By directly interviewing and profiling companies across the supply chain. IDTechEx analysts interview companies by engaging directly with senior management and technology development executives across the supply chain, leading to revealing insights that may otherwise be inaccessible.
 
Further, as a global team, we travel extensively to industry events and companies to conduct in-depth, face-to-face interviews. We also engage with industry associations and follow public company filings as secondary sources. We conduct patent analysis and track regulatory changes and incentives. We consistently build on our decades-long research of emerging technologies.
 
We assess emerging technologies against existing solutions, evaluate market demand and provide data-driven forecasts based on our models. This provides a clear, unbiased outlook on the future of each technology or industry that we cover.

What is your forecast methodology?

We take into account the following information and data points where relevant to create our forecasts:
  • Historic data, based on our own databases of products, companies' sales data, information from associations, company reports and validation of our prior market figures with companies in the industry.
  • Current and announced manufacturing capacities
  • Company production targets
  • Direct input from companies as we interview them as to their growth expectations, moderated by our analysts
  • Planned or active government incentives and regulations
  • Assessment of the capabilities and price of the technology based on our benchmarking over the forecast period, versus that of competitive solutions
  • Teardown data (e.g. to assess volume of materials used)
  • From a top-down view: the total addressable market
  • Forecasts can be based on an s-curve methodology where appropriate, taking into account the above factors
  • Key assumptions and discussion of what can impact the forecast are covered in the report.

How can I be confident about the quality of work in IDTechEx reports?

Based on our technical analysts and their research methodology, for over 25 years our work has regularly received superb feedback from our global clients. Our research business has grown year-on-year.
 
Recent customer feedback includes:
"It's my first go-to platform"
- Dr. Didi Xu, Head of Foresight - Future Technologies, Freudenberg Technology Innovation
 
"Their expertise allows us to make data-driven, strategic decisions and ensures we remain aligned with the latest trends and opportunities in the market."
- Ralf Hug, Global Head of Product Management & Marketing, Marquardt

What differentiates IDTechEx reports?

Our team of in-house technical analysts immerse themselves in industries over many years, building deep expertise and engaging directly with key industry players to uncover hard-to-find insights. We appraise technologies in the landscape of competitive solutions and then assess their market demand based on voice-of-the-customer feedback, all from an impartial point of view. This approach delivers exceptional value to our customers—providing high-quality independent content while saving customers time, resources, and money.

Why should we pick IDTechEx research over AI research?

A crucial value of IDTechEx research is that it provides information, assessments and forecasts based on interviews with key people in the industry, assessed by technical experts. AI is trained only on content publicly available on the web, which may not be reliable, in depth, nor contain the latest insights based on the experience of those actively involved in a technology or industry, despite the confident prose.

How can I justify the ROI of this report?

Consider the cost of the IDTechEx report versus the time and resources required to gather the same quality of insights yourself. IDTechEx analysts have built up an extensive contact network over many years; we invest in attending key events and interviewing companies around the world; and our analysts are trained in appraising technologies and markets.
 
Each report provides an independent, expert-led technical and market appraisal, giving you access to actionable information immediately, rather than you having to spend months or years on your own market research.

Can I speak to analysts about the report content?

All report purchases include up to 30 minutes of telephone time with an expert analyst who will help you link key findings in the report to the business issues you're addressing. This needs to be used within three months of purchasing the report.

What is the difference between a report and subscription?

A subscription from IDTechEx can include more reports, access to an online information platform with continuously updated information from our analysts, and access to analysts directly.

Before purchasing, I have some questions about the report, can I speak to someone?

Please email research@idtechex.com stating your location and we will quickly respond.

About IDTechEx

Who are IDTechEx's customers?

IDTechEx has served over 35,000 customers globally. These range from large corporations to ambitious start-ups, and from Governments to research centers. Our customers use our work to make informed decisions and save time and resources.

Where is IDTechEx established?

IDTechEx was established in 1999, and is headquartered in Cambridge, UK. Since then, the company has significantly expanded and operates globally, having served customers in over 80 countries. Subsidiary companies are based in the USA, Germany and Japan.

Questions about purchasing a report

How do I pay?

In most locations reports can be purchased by credit card, or else by direct bank payment.

How and when do I receive access to IDTechEx reports?

When paying successfully by credit card, reports can be accessed immediately. For new customers, when paying by bank transfer, reports will usually be released when the payment is received. Report access will be notified by email.

How do I assign additional users to the report?

Users can be assigned in the report ordering process, or at a later time by email.

Can I speak to someone about purchasing a report?

Please email research@idtechex.com stating your location and we will quickly respond.
 
Only analysis available that provides facts-based analysis on which to base strategy

Report Statistics

Pages 199
Tables 15
Figures 38
Forecasts to 2025
 

Customer Testimonial

quote graphic
"The resources produced by IDTechEx are a valuable tool... Their insights and analyses provide a strong foundation for making informed, evidence-based decisions. By using their expertise, we are better positioned to align our strategies with emerging opportunities."
Director of Market Strategy
Centre for Process Innovation (CPI)
 
 
 

Subscription Enquiry