MXWL - Maxwell Technologies Inc.
Short Interest: 17.30%
O/S: 17.41M shares
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Maxwell Technologies, Inc. engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of energy storage, and power delivery components and systems. The company's products include ultracapacitors, radiation-mitigated microelectronic products, and high-voltage capacitors. The company&'s ultracapacitors consists of BOOSTCAP ultracapacitors, which offer energy storage and power delivery solutions for applications in multiple industries, including transportation, energy, consumer and industrial electronics, and telecommunications. Its radiation-mitigated microelectronic products include high-density power modules, memory modules, and single board computers that incorporate its proprietary RADPAK packaging and shielding technology and architecture that enable them to withstand environmental radiation effects and perform reliably in space. Maxwell Technologies� CONDIS high-voltage capacitors include grading and coupling capacitors, and capacitive voltage dividers that are used to ensure the safety and reliability of electric utility infrastructure and other applications involving transport, distribution, and measurement of high-voltage electrical energy. It sells its products to original equipment manufacturers through both direct and indirect sales organizations in the North America, Europe, and Asia. The company was incorporated in 1965 under the name Maxwell Laboratories, Inc. and changed its name to Maxwell Technologies, Inc. in 1996. Maxwell Technologies is headquartered in San Diego, California.
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An article regarding relevant MIT research on ultracapacitors and potential applications for portable computing.
MIT Researchers Extend Computer Life Without Batteries
Researchers replace batteries with ultracapacitors to make long-running PCs.
Ben Ames (IDG News Service) 05 April, 2007 11:25:51
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found a way to extend the power life of mobile computers.
Instead of using batteries, they draw power from an electronic device called an ultracapacitor. The approach is still several years away from being used as the main electricity source for commercial laptops and handhelds, but is already used for backup power in many small consumer products.
"A number of electronic devices already use commercial ultracapacitors for specialized functions," said Joel Schindall, a professor in MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
"For example, a clock radio may use an ultracapacitor as a keep-alive source in case of power failure, and even the old Palm III used an ultracapacitor to retain its memory while the AA batteries were changed."
The new technology could shake up the retail computer business, where computer makers already compete for market share by boasting of more power-efficient machines.
Chip makers battle for business by launching more efficient processors like Intel's Centrino and Advanced Micro Devices' Turion, trading high performance speed for mobile endurance.
Hewlett-Packard Co. also says its customers demand longer run-times. The company announced Monday that its HP Compaq nx9400 notebook will run on three levels of battery packs. Those range from the standard, four-hour unit to a substitute battery that adds five more hours, and a clip-on, supplementary battery that adds another 10 hours.
The speed at which a battery charges is also important to users. HP says its enhanced, lithium ion battery can gain 90 percent of a full charge after just 90 minutes of being plugged into a wall outlet.
By comparison, a consumer with a cell phone powered by MIT's ultracapacitor could gain a complete recharge in just a few seconds, Schindall says.
The new device is called a nanotube-enhanced ultracapacitor, or NEU. It works by applying nanotechnology to an existing electrical device; the capacitor.
Generic capacitors store energy as an electrical field. That is more efficient than standard batteries, which get their energy from chemical reactions. Even more efficient is the ultracapacitor, a capacitor-based storage cell that provides quick bursts of instant energy. The drawback is size -- ultracapacitors need to be much larger than batteries to hold the same charge.
The MIT researchers solved this problem by taking advantage of the enormous surface area of nanotubes; molecular-scale straws of carbon atoms that enable ultracapacitors to store electrical fields at the atomic level. Storage capacity (and charging speed) in an ultracapacitor is proportional to the surface area of the electrodes, so the nanotubes provide a great leap forward.
Despite this promise, researchers say they still have three to five years more work before they can replace a computer's main battery.
One drawback is that the ultracapacitor provides direct current power. That is suitable for running power-off functions like a laptop's clock, but most desktop devices use alternating current for their main operations.
High cost could also be a problem at first, because of low quantity production and meager capital investment in manufacturing facilities, he said.
On the other hand, the device could clear these hurdles by finding customers across a variety of businesses. From cell phones to automobiles, the ultracapacitor could supplement fuel cell power sources by acting as an emergency reserve for peak power use.
"The eventual implications are profound," says Schindall.
