These devices may hold the key to two vital applications, although Letellier admits their usefulness lies in the future rather than in the near-term. One application is mobile telephone terminals, where supercapacitors can help supply peaks of modulation at emission. When mobile telephones are emitting, conventional batteries strain to handle peak signals. The ideal power supply may be a battery teamed with a supercapacitor, Letellier offers. The company already has achieved up to 800 Farads at less than 3 volts, with more than 100,000 cycles.
Electric automobiles are another application.
Attempts to mass-market these vehicles have been hindered by limited performance. Supercapacitors can provide the large amounts of current necessary for acceleration, which addresses one major drawback of existing vehicles.