Limited Capacitor

Despite their many strengths, capacitors have weaknesses that limit their viability as a real alternative to the large-capacity battery packs in modern EVs.

- _by Csaba Csere

AS GOOD AS THE BATTERIES of modern electric vehicles are, they still have drawbacks, such as their physical size and heft. Though the cost of EV batteries continues to fall, they remain pricey pieces with a limited working life span. So, why not ditch the bulky battery pack for a capacitor, a simpler electrical storage option that has a long life and is capable of releasing energy almost instantly?

Capacitors are common in all manner of electrical circuits. Unlike a battery, which is essentially a chemical device consisting of two electrodes in some sort of electrolyte that allows electrons to flow from one of the electrodes to the other to release energy, a capacitor stores energy by accumulating positive and negative electrical charges on a pair of surfaces separated by an insulator. Capacitors come in a variety of shapes and sizes, though they are typically rather small.