Maxwell Technologies is doubling its ultracapacitor electrode production capacity by the end of 2012 by setting up a new production facility in a 123,000-square-foot leased building located in Peoria, Arizona.
So far, Maxwell Technologies produces all the proprietary electrode materials for use in its ultracapacitor products at its facility in San Diego. The company is augmenting its production capacity in order to fulfill the growing global demand for ultracapacitor products.
The President and Chief Executive Officer of Maxwell Technologies, David Schramm informed that since the sales of ultracapacitor have increased over 500% since 2007, the company is ramping up production to stay well ahead of the market demand.
Contrary to energy production and storage by batteries through a chemical reaction, energy is stored in an electric field by Maxwell Technologies¡¯ ultracapacitors. This electrostatic energy storage method allows ultracapacitors to charge and release within a fraction of a second. Ultracapacitors reliably run through ¡Ý 1 million charge/discharge cycles at temperatures ranging between -40¡ãC and +65¡ãC. They also resist vibration and shock. Maxwell Technologies provides ultracapacitor cells with a capacitance range between 1 and 3,000 F and multi-cell modules with a voltage range between 16 and 125 V.
Maxwell Technologies together with an assembly partner produced and shipped over 2 million units of large cell ultracapacitors in 2011. Large cells are utilized for torque assist and braking energy recuperation in electric and hybrid public transit vehicles. A new large cell assembly facility slated for operation later in 2012 will augment the existing capacity by 50%. The company has also increased manufacturing capacity for the postage stamp-size, 10-F PC-10 ultracapacitor cells in order to meet the demand for use as backup power in solid state drives utilized in enterprise computing systems.