Lockheed Signs with EEStor to Use New Ultracapacitor

Over a year ago, we discussed a start-up company, EEStor, that was making incredible claims about their new power source. Later, EEStor made waves with its bold predictions and secretive policies. Now, Lockheed Martin has decided to give EEStor a chance. The two companies signed a deal this week to use the new energy storage units in Lockheed's products. The folks at GM-Volt interviewed a Lockheed representative about the deal. The representative had this to say regarding EEStor: "We've visited their facility. We were very impressed. They are taking an approach that lends itself to a very quick ramp-up in production. We've seen a lot of their testing and efforts to measure the purity of the powders that they use, and the chemistry. Well be working with them very closely this year to develop prototypes in certain pursuits."

Comments

They have to actually MAKE them, first.

[fyngyrz]

They've missed the publicly announced milestone, and there is a lot of speculation about the practicality of the method. Don't get me wrong, I *really* want them to succeed, but so far, it's 100% vapor.

Re:They have to actually MAKE them, first.

[Amorymeltzer]

Articles state Lockheed will be helping out in that department - it's a complete collaboration and will probably give 'em a chance. Lockheed's got more pull and power than most anyone else, so in this arena their input is good for development. Now, whether you'd rather have this thing drop immediately into the hands of military contractors is another issue, but you've got to admit - they get the job done.

I wonder

[Hognoxious]

Can it be recalinbrated (by tapping my hands on a panel a few times) to emit a tachyon pulse? Because it it can't, I ain't interested.

Run for it, Marty

[Dachannien]

If this ultracapacitor can discharge its energy at a rate of 1.21 jigawatts, it's no wonder Lockheed's interested.

Re:Run for it, Marty

[jmauro]

Don't feel so bad, this one is made out of used pinball machine parts.

Re:Run for it, Marty

[BobSixtyFour]

With a discharge like that, the only thing that can charge it up is a bolt of lighting!

Re:Run for it, Marty

[Kreigaffe]

A simply fantastical amount of human progress has come about through the development of weapons and their subsequent reapplication for less violent uses.

We'd be nowhere if we hadn't first learned how to make knives and spears and bows and arrows.

Re:Run for it, Marty

[evilviper]

With a discharge like that, the only thing that can charge it up is a bolt of lighting!

I realize this is just a joke, but that is in fact a great idea. We are looking for ever cheaper energy, and lightning is extremely high power, and rather constant in certain areas. If cheap enough storage devices could instantly store it, it would make an incredibly good power source.

Re:Run for it, Marty

[TheRaven64]

When I was checking in to fly a little while ago, I was asked if I was carrying anything 'that could be used as a weapon.' I thought for a second, and came to the conclusion that I was carrying very little that couldn't be used as a weapon with a little ingenuity. In the interests of a quiet life, I didn't explain this to the security operative, I just mumbled 'no' and carried on.

Re:Run for it, Marty

[evilviper]

Doc> Unfortunately you never know when or where it's ever going to strike.

In fact, scientists are really quite good at causing a storm to develop a lightning strike exactly where they want it. Shoot a grounded cable into the clouds, and you've got extremely good odds. For a more sustainable method, building a tower in the absolute middle of nowhere in the flat plains of the US would guarantee a steady supply of lightning strikes, without moving parts, or much maintenance.

Goodbye, Sweet Freedom

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

Lockheed Martin to Use EEstors Ultracapacitors for Military and Homeland Security Applications January 13th, 2008

The military needs the energy density that this EEstor thing provides for weapon systems.

EEstor: More Clues Emerge

For years, I wanted to believe that Peak Oil could bring this horror show down. My problem, of course, was that I couldn't ignore simple, observable realities and the fact that evil people have many plans up their sleeves.

Some of you view collapse due to Peak Oil as a given. I understand that desire. Unfortunately, it's just not going to go that way This system is going to limp on, creaking and grinding and murdering and polluting all the way into the grim dystopia of clean, green fascism.

Shell's $30 per Barrel Oil Shale Process

The technology to build the techno green utopia has been around for easily thirty years. Sorry folks, that's not how it went, and that's not how it's going to go. The primacy of new killing technologies and technologies of political control go hand in hand with the clean energy systems.

Forget the Green Technology - The Hot Money Is in Guns

What kind of political and economic system are the limousine liberals and the four star generals creating here? (Rhetorical question.)

Kleiner Perkins: Al Gore and Colin Powell, Together at Last to Save the Planet

To top it off, this Lockheed Martin press release includes one of the most terrifying phrases Ive ever encountered: Energy independence for the Warfighter.

Think about that phrase for a few minutes, if you dare.

Via: Press Media Wire:

Lockheed Martin has signed an exclusive international rights agreement to integrate and market Electrical Energy Storage Units (EESU) from EEStor, Inc., for military and homeland security applications. Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

EEStor, based in Cedar Park, TX, is developing a ceramic battery chemistry that could provide 10 times the energy density of lead acid batteries at 1/10th the weight and volume. As envisioned, EESUs will be a fully "green" technology that will be half the price per stored watt-hour than traditional battery technologies.

"Lockheed Martin has a wide range of innovative energy solutions for federal, state and regional energy applications," said Glenn Miller, vice president of Technical Operations and Applied Research at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "The EEStor energy storage technology provides potential solutions for the demanding requirements for energy in military and homeland defense applications."

EESUs are planned as nontoxic, non-hazardous and non-explosive. Since the EESU design is based on ultra-capacitor architecture, it will allow for flexible packaging and rapid charge/discharge capabilities. EESUs will be ideally suited for a wide range of power management initiatives that could lead to energy independence for the Warfighter.

"Lockheed Martin continues to focus on providing our Warfighters with new and innovative technologies that will make their jobs easier," said Lionel Liebman, manager of Program Development - Applied Research at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Our ruggedized BattPack(TM) energy storage unit generated considerable interest at the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting in October 2007 for its potential for fuel savings in vehicular silent watch applications. The potential of an even safer, smaller and more powerful EESU in BattPack(TM) would significantly enhance the Warfighter's capabilities."

EESU qualification testing and mass production at EEStor's facility in Cedar Park is planned for late 2008.

EEStor, Inc., of Ced

Not to be confused with..

[The Living Fractal]

Not to be confused with an 'ultracrapacitor' which is apparently something that exists within the guy in the cubicle next to mine... And let me tell you this: it is *real* vapor ware.

Hmmm

[antifoidulus]

measure the purity of the powders that they use

Meaning they let the executives snort the primo cocaine off the hooker's pelvis.

Maybe 5% chance this is legit....

[gweihir]

It has all the telltales of fraud or of people havinfg unjustified high hopes for their product because of a self-delusion. Of course there is a small chance of this working. Break-througfhs have been made before. But they should not be believed until they produce a working prototype and it has been evaluated thoroughly by an impattiel third party. In the past, this type of claims were either never deliverd on, or it turned out that the devices could not be made to last long. Making an energy-storage device last long is not an engineering task, that can be planned or that is typically successful.