About Supercapacitors
Supercapacitors and inventlab GmbH
Supercapacitors became popular in the last few years. Aspects like long life, high cycle-life and temperature resistance make them intersting for applications where a reliable voltage source is required.
inventlab has been dealing exclusively with Supercapacitor applications for many years. Benefit from our specialization and our Swiss Made Products.Batteries vs. Ultracapacitors/Supercapacitors
Conclusion of Batteries vs. Ultracapacitors / Supercapacitors:
- Most important advantages from Supercapacitors in compare to Batteries:
- much higher lifetime
- higher power density (can be charged and discharged with higher currents)
- usable at lower temperatures
- usable at higher temperatures
- much higher cycle-life
- much simpler handling (no rules for placing on stock or shipping)
- The biggest (and only) advantage of Batterien in compare to Supercapacitors is the higher energy density
| Requirement | Battery | Supercapacitor |
| Cycle life |
Low (≤ 1 k) |
High (≥ 500 k) |
| Lifetime | Medium to low (~ 5 years) |
High (> 10 years) |
| Time to charge | Slow | Extremely fast |
| Holding on stock |
Not recommended, special and laborious handling required |
Unproblematic, nothing needs to be considered |
| Stored energy (energy density) | High | Low |
| Power (power density) | Medium | High |
| Low temperatures | Power output drastically reduced (ESR increases drastically) Capacity is reduced |
Power output after some time reduced (ESR increases) |
| High temperatures | In long term, the cycle life is reduced (to an even deeper value) | Capacity decreases after longer time at high temperatures |
| Deep discharge |
Capacity lowers and probably even a safety risk | Unproblematic down to 0 V, no negative impact |
| Transport/International shipping | Very strict regulations have to be considered | Unproblematic, no handling restrictions |
Note: Depending on battery type, the above specifications can slightly differ. The lifetime of Supercapacitors can even be increased when used correctly; inventlab supports the design-in process to allow customers reaching their expected lifetime goals.