New super-battery patent punctures EEstor's veil of secrecy

EEstor is a company focused on living out its infancy and childhood in complete secrecy. That’s a good plan considering how valuable its ultracapacitor battery will be, IF its claims are true. EEstor just loosened a chink in its aura of mystique though with approval of a new patent posted publicly online. Incidentally, the patent also makes EEstor seem just a bit more real.

The patent details out the process of screen printing various materials together to create an “electrical-energy-storage unit” according to the public record. Computer makers have used this method in the past to create chips on a microscopic scale. If EEstor follows the same process it could end up printing parts of its batteries.

Originally the company planned to have its ultracapacitor batteries ready for production by the end of 2008, but a recent e-mail to GM-Volt.com from EEstor’s CEO Ian Clifford indicated otherwise. The company has also allowed a couple of independent verifications of its technology by a third party, but that simply gave investors a breath of relief that some sort of progress was happening.

That still left the rest of us wondering when, and if, the ultracapacitor would make its way into mainstream vehicles. EEstor’s claims are bold and include massively improved energy storage capacity, quick recharging that only requires minutes to complete, low manufacturing costs, and similar form factor to a traditional lead-acid battery.

The newly granted patent reveals new specifics on how the battery is created, and that may come as a concern to some investors and partners who are looking to maximize their market leader position. Still, Clifford seems to be a master of vaguely answering questions in a seemingly reassuring way, and that artful dodging will serve the company well.

Zenn Motor is especially interested (pdf) in protecting that wall of secrecy because “Toronto-based Zenn has paid EEStor $1.3 million of a $2.5 million investment commitment, pending milestones, and has a 3.8 percent equity stake in the Texas company.” Zenn has exclusive rights to EEstor’s batteries worldwide for cars under 3,086 pounds.