"SANYO, as part of its commitment to new energy sources and a clean environment, is continuously focusing efforts on the development and manufacture of more efficient power sources," said Takaharu Yamada, president of SANYO Electronic Components Co., Ltd. "We believe SRI's ultracapacitor and nonflammable electrolyte are market breakthroughs, and we are pleased to be the first to take advantage of the technologies and bring them to the marketplace."

An ultracapacitor (an electronic circuit that stores an electrical charge) helps boost performance, conserve energy, reduce power source weight and extend life. SRI’s ultracapacitor, designed for ease of manufacturing on a commercial scale, is a thinner, more efficient energy storage device with more pulse-power than currently available ultracapacitors. It can be used in a range of applications that need reliable power sources, such as power tools, communication devices, industrial equipment and hybrid electric vehicles.

In addition to energy efficiency, safety is a major concern. SRI developed a nonflammable electrolyte in response to widespread concerns about the flammability of rechargeable electrolyte. SRI’s electrolyte replaces the currently used and potentially hazardous flammable liquid without sacrificing power and performance.

SANYO Electronic Components is planning to commercialize the ultracapacitor and nonflammable electrolyte technologies and to make samples available to customers late in FY 1999. SRI is working with SANYO to develop the technology for a number of products, including one device with specific energy of 12Wh/kg at 1000 W/kg specific power.

The market for power sources is large and growing. According to industry estimates, capacitors are a $6 billion worldwide industry. SRI’s ability to address the key issues of performance, safety and cost could open up the market even further, potentially extending rechargeable ultracapacitor applicability to power tools, toys and electric vehicles, for example, where safety is of utmost importance.

Under a nonexclusive agreement, SANYO is the first manufacturing company to take full advantage of SRI’s proprietary electrolyte technologies. SRI will continue to offer the technologies for license by battery manufacturers and electrolyte suppliers. Licensing information is available from Hal Kruth, senior vice president of Commercial Business Development at SRI.

SRI International is one of the largest research, technology development and consulting firms in the world providing corporations, governments and organizations worldwide with the technology research and resources needed for competing more effectively in today's changing global environment. SRI’s Energy Technology Laboratory, lead by Dr. Subhash Narang, conducts research and development on a variety of power sources, including lithium ion polymer batteries, PEM fuel cells, ultracapacitors, sensors, actuators, microelectronics manufacturing and rapid prototyping.