The development of ultrcapacitors for electric and hybrid vehicle applications has been underway since the early 1990s. In this report, those development activities are reviewed and the status of the technology, as of mid-1995, is assessed. It was found that work is being done in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan to develop ultracapacitors using various types of carbons, doped conducting polymers, and metal oxides as electrode materials and aqueous, organic, and solid polymer electrolytes. The present state-of-the-art for ultracapacitor cells is 1.5 Wh/kg and 1 kW/kg for devices using an aqueous electrolyte and 5-7 Wh/kg and 2 kW/kg for devices using an organic electrolyte. Prototype multicell units of ultracapacitors having the above characteristics are being developed by capacitor/battery companies in the United States, Europe, and Japan and should be ready for marketing within 1-2 years. Projections of the future ultracapacitor technology indicate that the development of units with an energy density of 10-15 Wh/kg and a power density of 3-4kW/kg can be expected in the near-term (within 5 years) and even higher energy and power densities in the longer term (5-10 years). Carbon electrode and organic electrolytes (3V cells) appear to offer the best opportunities for achieving high energy density and affordable cost for vehicle applications. Key areas of research and development for increasing the energy density of ultracapacitors are identified. These include the development of carbon materials for electrodes having a specific capacitance of 75-100F/cm3 and organic electrolytes with resistivities of lower than 30 ohm-cm. Possible synergisms between ultracapacitor, lithium-ion battery, and fule cell development are indicated as a means of decreasing the time required to commercialize advanced ultracapacitors.

This study focuses on the design of a narrow (44 inches maximum width) vehicle capable of moving two occupants safely at freeway speeds with an emphasis on comfort, efficiency and performance. The design addresses consumer acceptance problems of past narrow vehicles such as "too small", "too ugly", "too unstable", "too wet", "too slow", "too complicated", and "too expensive". A full CAD model was developed to show the external vehicle shape, occupant seating and ergonomics, and the packaging of driveline components. Simulations were run using S/MPLFV and Advisor 2002 to predict vehicle performance and range. The size and mass characteristics of the driveline components used in the simulations were based on commercially-available EV products and selected for the special requirements of a relatively lightweight (450400 kg) vehicle. Dynamic stability and safety of the vehicle are of prime importance and were considered in all phases of the design. The narrow lane "commute/'vehicle is designed to permit two cars to travel abreast on a standard lane, or single file on a shoulder or auxiliary lane of highway. The vehicle modeled incorporates electric drive and is designed to have a >100 mile range using lithium-ion batteries. This study shows that narrow lane vehicles using current technology power train components are a viable option to increase vehicle throughput on existing roadways and reduce transportation energy consumption.