EEStor Announcement Ultracap Recap

With regard to EEStor's recent announcement of production and purity milestones, here's a little recap post for easy access to the various postings.

1) Links to original press release and coverage
2) Follow on Interview with Richard Weir
3) Interview with Edward Golla, 3rd party reviewer
4) Zenn's subsequent press release
5) Some technical discussions of the release and related topics.
a) reader Mihkel
b) reader Zawy
c) Prof Randall
6) A charity I support

UPDATE: I'm getting emails that the picture in this post is of an EEStor cell that has "mysteriously" appeared on wikipedia. (i just linked to it) I've seen this before though..I dont think it is an EESU because it looks like it was made from powder that was way too impure to produce an EESU. :-)

Where will you charge your electric car? Starbucks?

Back in Sept of 2007 when CNET originally posted this lightweight article discussing the possibility of recharging EEStor EESU's at Starbucks, gasoline cost us about 32% less than it does today, according to a chart I found at GasBuddy.com.  With recent news of Starbucks having to close 600 stores because fuel costs are keeping away customers, it's worthwhile to ponder once again how big of an impact EEStor technology could have on our daily lives.  

So, in reflecting about this aging CNET article, I was thinking how great would it be for someone like Zenn Motors or any EV like Toyota Prius or GM Volt to be able to sell the economic benefits of their vehicles at a Starbucks???   If Starbucks ever did become a charging station for a cityZenn or other electric vehicle, I guess it wouldnt be too illogical to think also Starbucks could sell the cars as well.   Hello Gas Station Industry?   Hello Starbucks Shareholder?  

Amazing Fuel Cost Savings

I tried out the Zenn Motor savings calculator on their website today. The calculator points out that my fuel costs for driving an SUV 70 miles per day is $5600/yr. If i were to switch to a fully electric Zenn and recharge via my local Virigina Power at $0.085 per KWH, my fuel costs would reduce by $5321. That is, with a Zenn my fuel costs would be $278/yr. I am paying 20 times more per year to drive an SUV than a Zenn. This is a staggering figure which could have such an enormous benefit in today's environment. It's not difficult to see what kind of demand this is going to generate if all goes well.

Update from Zenn and EEStor

CNET details Zenn's plans for a street legal vehicle called CityZenn. Excerpt:

The CityZenn comes out in the fall of 2009. While it will sell for a premium over similar gas cars, it will be affordable for mainstream buyers, the company says. Most likely it will come out in Europe first and the U.S. later. Zenn is expected to get its first samples of EEStor's energy storage units this year. Zenn is also an investor in the company.