Ioxus, a start up company in Oneonta, N.Y., are experimenting with ultra capacitors in hybrid and electric vehicles in order to make batteries work better and last longer.

In order to improve fuel economy on hybrid and electric vehicles, the engine shuts down when the car stops. When the vehicle starts to move again, a large amount of power is needed. While lithium ion batteries can store large amounts of energy, they are not able to discharge quickly enough to get the vehicle going again. Lead acid batteries can deliver the power needed, but the life of the battery is sacrificed in the process.

Ioxus is using ultra capacitors to work with the battery, allowing the burst of energy needed to get the vehicle going and allowing quick recharging for the next stop. According to Mark E. McGough, the company’s chief executive, this technology could also be used to run an electrically driven power steering system, making hybrid and electric vehicles work even more efficiently. While this technology is not being used commercially on hybrid and electric vehicles, it has been proven to be very effective in turning the blades on wind turbines.