Rolls-Royce to look into supercap technology
Rolls-Royce has signed a collaboration agreement with Superdielectrics, a UK startup that has been working on novel polymers. Together they want to create what they call “very high energy storage technology,” in other words, supercapacitors.
The agreement will see Rolls-Royce combine its material science and technical expertise with Superdielectrics’ novel hydrophilic polymers. The latter have been developed together with researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Surrey, where they have been shown to have “potentially outstanding energy storage properties” according to the press release.
Superdielectrics’ hydrophilic materials are similar to those originally designed for soft contact lenses. The startup however, uses them to increase the electricity storage capabilities of capacitors. The aim is to create capacitors that rival the storage capacity of traditional rechargeable batteries. The resulting supercapacitors may also be able to charge much faster than existing lithium-ion batteries. The exact terms of the agreement between Rolls-Royce and Superdielectrics remain confidential.
Rolls-Royce has yet to deliver an electric model but has shown openness. CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvos signalled last summer that the luxury brand would go in with all-electric or nothing.
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