EEStor makes production milestone announcement of sorts
Fictive Atlantean confused charge
Following months of silence about the progress of its potentially world-changing energy storage device, the secretive Cedar Park, Texas-based firm, EEStor, has issued a press release announcing that it has reached key production milestones. One such marker for example is, " the certification of the completeness of the powder crystallization of the constituents utilized in producing its [composition modified barium titanate] CMBT powders." For those of you lacking a degree in advanced materials science, we believe what they are trying to say is that some of the materials which they will use to create their electrical energy storage unit (EESU) are within the specifications necessary for production. No, they haven't actually produced a working prototype or anything they could point to to prove they have the answer to life, the universe and everything but they have indeed created the most complicated sounding press release of all time.
They also say they have shown Dr. Edward Golla of the Texas Research Institute their test and measurement equipment and that Golla has certified that the equipment is capable of measuring what EEStor says it will. None of this however gives any indication of whether EEStors ultra capacitors will ever actually work as claimed. For that we must still wait. It does seem as though the company has opened the lines of communication to the outside world with the publishing of an email address. However, we are sure you are more likely to gain insight into their progress by keeping tabs on the blog that thoroughly follows everything EEStor. Hit the jump to decipher the press release for yourselves.
[Source: EEStor]
Press Release
EEStor Announces Certification of Additional Key Production Milestones and Enhancement of Chemical Purity
CEDAR PARK, Texas, July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Edward D. Golla, PhD,
Laboratory Director for Texas Research International (acting as an
independent agent) has certified that EEStor, Inc. test equipment,
procedures, and techniques are capable of providing the EEStor, Inc.
required testing accuracy for EEStor's chemicals and powder production
processing analyses.
Since the beginning of 2007, EEStor, Inc. has been advancing its
chemical purification and powder production processes. The decision to
focus on these processes was made to help assure that EEStor, Inc. could
meet the most critical demands of business segments for production
throughput, cost, and energy storage. The certification data described in
this press release will assist in indicating the success EEStor, Inc. has
had in completing its objectives.
EEStor, Inc. has achieved success on one of its most critical technical
milestones and that is the certification of the completeness of the powder
crystallization of the constituents utilized in producing its CMBT powders.
The percent of the constituents crystallized in the CMBT powders ranged
from 99.57% to 100.00% with the average being 99.92%. This level of
crystallization provides the path for the possibility of EEStor, Inc.
providing the published energy storage for present products and major
advancements in energy storage for future products.
The purification of the EEStor, Inc. chemicals has been certified by
the same chemical analysis company as EEStor's press release dated January
17, 2007 and now indicates that EEStor has improved its chemical purity to
the parts-per-billion range. The aluminum oxide particle coating material
purification has been certified to be in the parts-per-trillion level.
Achieving these levels of purification are additional major factors in
allowing EEStor, Inc. the potential to reach its target working voltage.
EEStor, Inc. has certification data from outside sources that purified
aluminum oxide, in the range that EEStor, Inc. has certified, can have a
voltage breakdown of 1,100 volts per micron. The target working voltage of
EEStor's chemical processes is at 350 volts per micron. This provides the
potential for excellent protection from voltage breakdown.
It has also been certified by Mr. Ian Treviranus of HORIBA Instruments,
Inc. and the LA-950 particle measurement system that EEStor, Inc. has
achieved their goal of producing powder particles in the range of 1 micron
with a very narrow particle size distribution. EEStor, Inc. has
certification data that indicates achieving powder particle of this size
and distribution along with the aluminum oxide particle coating assists
EEStor, Inc. in meeting the energy storage stabilization over the
temperature range of interest for key applications.
EEStor, Inc. published patent, application number 5812758, indicates
the flexible matrix concept that could provide the potential of multiple
technical and production advantages. One of the technical advantages
indicated is assisting in providing polarization of the ultra capacitors.
Polarization along with other proprietary processing steps provides the
potential of a polarization saturation voltage required by EEStor, Inc.
These key certified production milestones of particle crystallization,
size, purity, and polarization are expected to assist EEStor in providing
not only present and future energy storage requirements but also production
consistency.
ABOUT EEStor, Inc.
Headquartered in Cedar Park, Texas, EEStor, Inc. is dedicated to the
design, development, and manufacturing of high-density electrical energy
storage units.
Utilizing revolutionary ultra capacitor architecture and
environmentally friendly materials the EEStor, Inc. EESU will have the
capability to compete against all existing battery and capacitor
technologies.
For additional information please email info@eestor.us
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Serge 2:13PM (7/30/2008)
Given that Zenn Motors followed up with their own press release (http://www.zenncars.com/media/press_rel/07_08/EEStor_confirms_progress_July30.pdf) indirectly affirming the Fall 2009 availability of the eeSTOR-powered highway-capable car (albeit for fleet usage only), I would expect some kind of prototype to exist.
Reply
Dave 2:45PM (7/30/2008)
Although most are still somewhat skeptical, the fact that they are issuing patents, validating their production materials and nearing completion of their production facility reduces my level of doubt. As everyone knows this will be a huge game changer if they can produce this cost effectively, battery companies will be scrambling big time...IMO.
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pkuhl 3:32PM (7/30/2008)
Battery companies are already scrambling, because they already know they are the game changer.
Patents can and have been issued for perpetual motion machines....
axiom 5:44PM (7/30/2008)
"Although most are still somewhat skeptical, the fact that they are issuing patents, validating their production materials and nearing completion of their production facility reduces my level of doubt."
Very true. Its not that what they are trying to do is scientifically impossible. Its just that noone else has done it....yet.
a.brien 5:40PM (7/30/2008)
If they succeed in creating an efficient battery or electrical storing device then a simple and small to medium size windmill or solar panel can be sufficient to recharge the car and assume all the energy cost of the car for commuting. It's the secret dream of many new car entrepreneurs. To date all car battery, except for the starter, have miserably failed. The task is huge, a battery with high capacity, high efficiency and compact with low weight. We are back at the beginning of the 1900 era where tousands of inventors where searching a way to power cars and the most noisy and bulky and polluting device have won. Probably because they were use to woodstove then the next step was a variant of this except that gasoline was the fuel, a small increase in efficiency. A battery to be succesful must follow the energy demand of the car that is always changing, voltage and current
must follow wheel motors and accessories like radio and air conditionning and have to reverse it's flow at rest without heat build-up and be fast enouph to recharge in 10 minutes, with a huge battery recharger that has to be implemented too.
If fuelcells can be considered a battery of it's kind like genepax did, then why is the majors manufacturers not buying this invention? My dodge neon 2005 can stand the next 40 years waiting that such inventions reach my local car dealership. Since then if there is some gasoline on the market i might considering putting some pedal in the dodge to transform it at least to a hybrid.
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BoneHeadOtto 9:50AM (7/31/2008)
did you even read what you wrote before you posted it? LMFAO!!!
axiom 5:47PM (7/30/2008)
"No, they haven't actually produced a working prototype or anything they could point to to prove they have the answer to life, the universe and everything but they have indeed created the most complicated sounding press release of all time."
Would be nice if you stuck to just reporting news and not these ignorant misinformed rants that are contradicted links you yourself posted:
"Blogger: I hate to bring this up because I feel like I'm pretty clear on the information that's out there in regards to what you're saying about production. But still, alot of people still think that you haven't even got a prototype.
RW: We've have made prototypes of this and those have....they were made with technologies that we had at the time. And what I'm telling the people today is in 2007 we made a corporate decision to put in more advanced technologies which we now and this data shows that we hit a home run on these technologies. Prototypes have been built and prototypes have been tested."
http://bariumtitanate.blogspot.com/
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Domenick Yoney 9:07AM (7/31/2008)
Although our article "went live" at 1:53 PM, it was actually completed earlier in the day and at that time the interview with Mr. Weir mentioning a prototype had not yet been posted. We, like everyone else, anxiously await news of a new prototype incorporating the improved "technologies".
axiom 5:47PM (7/30/2008)
"Patents can and have been issued for perpetual motion machines...."
A high capacity battery is equal to a perpetual motion machine? Been huffing too much fumes, bro?
Reply
BillySharps 7:01PM (7/30/2008)
Patents don't really mean anything. If you can get a patent on something that is physically impossible, getting a patent for a device which works in theory is not much of a stretch. Just because they have patented this technology doesn't mean they have a working device or are even close to having a working device.
axiom 11:51PM (7/30/2008)
"Patents don't really mean anything. If you can get a patent on something that is physically impossible,"
Hold up.
Show me the patents for things that are physically impossible.
These clowns come out the woodwork in these blogs. You know what really doesn't mean anything? People that make random, unsubstantiated, idiotic comments on blogs.
tankd0g 12:24AM (7/31/2008)
What EEStor claims to have is the next best thing.
pkuhl 10:11AM (7/31/2008)
Before you start criticizing comments, you might want to try this thing called google. Here's my first hit. In short, Nov. 1st of 2005, an antigravity machine received a U.S. patent:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/11/1111_051111_junk_patent.html
Serge 12:13PM (7/31/2008)
axiom, please do not insult others. Statements like "People that make random, unsubstantiated, idiotic comments on blogs" can really backfire, you know.
What BillySharps was saying, is that an issuance of a patent is in now way a validation of a patentee's claims. BTW, patents have been issued for "perpetual motion machines", like "Internal energy generating power source"
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=7095126.PN.&OS=PN/7095126&RS=PN/7095126
I hope that EEStor delivers. Their claims, however, must be critically evaluated; just like any one else's.
Neil 6:26PM (7/30/2008)
axiom: re "misinformed rants"
Don't you think that's a little harsh given that IIRC this article was written before b's interview with RW. Not to mention that the press release really was confusing.
Reply
axiom 11:53PM (7/30/2008)
Apparently you are misinformed.
The interview with RW was posted at 9:34AM. This article was posted at 1:53PM. Was it really that hard to check the times?
kert 6:50PM (7/30/2008)
One of the problems is, even if the core idea works, its not a drop in replacement for batteries.
The charge and discharge curves of say, LiFePO4 battery and an ultracap are vastly different, getting useful energy ( and steady power ) out of battery is way easier, power-electronics wise.
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Andy 9:16PM (7/30/2008)
Thats a good point.
Because of the wide discharge curve, I doubt you can use off the shelf inverters.
I wonder if Zenn have invested one cent to commision the power electronics for these ultra-caps.
That would give a good indication whether or not they have anything real.
Nick 2:26AM (7/31/2008)
Axiom, I am working closely with IP (intellectual property) attorneys, and YES, patents have been issued for things that don't even work.
If you have nothing better to do than spewing venom on an internet message board...get a life, or post your garbage somewhere else.
Thanks
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Chris M 5:02PM (7/31/2008)
Patents are supposed to be issued ony for workable designs, but patent examiners are human, and overworked, so some bum patents inevitably slip through.
But among the legitimate workable patents are many that are impractical or downright silly. They work, but why bother?