ADVANCED MATERIAL FOR COST EFFECTIVE AND HIGH DENSITY ULTRACAPACITORS FOR THE TRANSPORT SECTOR

Project Information

CAPOWER

Grant agreement ID: 733815

DOI

10.3030/733815

Project closed

EC signature date 24 July 2016

Start date 1 October 2016

End date 30 September 2018

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Total cost

€ 2 651 563,25

EU contribution

€ 1 856 094,27

Coordinated by

XEROLUTIONS SL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CAPOWER (ADVANCED MATERIAL FOR COST EFFECTIVE AND HIGH DENSITY ULTRACAPACITORS FOR THE TRANSPORT SECTOR)

Reporting period: 2017-10-01 to 2018-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

CAPOWER project Xerolutions has advanced in the technical definition of the equipment necessary to scale the manufacturing process from a pilot plant. In parallel tests with possible final customers were developed and the results had a direct impact in the industrial design of the plant.
The aim was to design a flexible plant to allow different types of final products for each of the possible customers, given that depending on the final product use (type of supercapacitor) a different product is required.
Equipments made ad-hoc for the process had to be scaled, so different tests were carried out to verify the usefulness of the equipment offered for the manufacturing process of Xerolutions.
The main technological challenge was to design and verify the necessary conditions of the main equipments so that these comply with the production ratios necessary to be able to be in figures such as those reflected in the business plan.
Xerolutions has worked on the development of the premium characteristics of the product, testing its features with potential customers. Several tests were carried out with different manufacturers so that they could have enough information to allow us to scale up with guarantees of production in quality and quantity.
Also a search of additional investors to participate in the project took place during its execution.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

• Design of a flexible industrial plant that allows, without changes in the equipment, to have different final products that suit the needs of each client.
• Verify the ad-hoc design of the main equipment to be supplied by specialized technologists adapting the design, operation and production capacity of the equipment to a new product that has not been handled by these suppliers before, as the raw material introduced to these teams, their composition, behavior and needs to comply with the final quality are know-how of Xerolutions.
• Contacts and co-development tests with final clients and validation companies. Clients of reference in their sector (type of electrolyte) that conform their products under standards that allow to extrapolate performance data to accelerate the process of introduction to other clients.
• Control of the state of the art of alternative processes and patent conflict. Knowing which are the main development paths in the sectors of interest for Xerolutions, and increase the guarantees of the future of Xerolutions with the development of new patents.
• Develop a financial plan updated with the last figures of the investment required and design of an investor ready business plan

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Xerolutions has developed a new material that increases volumetric capacity in ultracapacitors. Compared with the standard material used currently it improves the general features giving also a better result on purity ratio (reducing the presence of ashes and iron)
Therefore, CAPOWER has a lower volume per unit of energy stored in comparison to the material used in the existing ultracapacitors, thereby allowing the production of smaller devices.
The main innovations of CAPOWER beyond the state of art are:
High surface area
Easily tunable mesoporosity
Excellent electrical conductivity
Minimum ash or impurities
Full adaptable to customer needs
Its use in the transport sector would reduce emissions and fuel consumption in those periods where extra energy is demanded by the vehicle, in particular starting and restarting procedures and acceleration.
During the execution of the project, the supercapacitors market has turned towards new trends (Lithium Titanate batteries and hybrid batteries) and its growth has slowed down. Priorities on supercapacitors are not only to increase volumetric capacity but to reduce costs (by reducing the costs of the materials) what limits the willing to pay of potential customers even on high value products.

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