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Super Capacitors have the ability to store up to hundreds of farads of capacitance. The one pictured to the left can store almost a half of a farad. This is a HUGE value of capacitance relative to the capacitors discussed earlier. All electric devises using power electronics need capacitors and these super capacitors are the future for energy storage. The possibilities for applications are limitless and are being researched throughout the world.
The hybrid / electric cars have developed a need to store large amounts of energy since the variation of power required to operate a vehicle will likely reduce the the life of the battery. Due to these parameters, a set of batteries wired in parallel with a set of capacitors is needed to provide steady flow of power to the flywheel. An example of this power variation is when the brakes are applied, the excess energy that was used to turn the flywheel is redirected to a super capacitor. (www.hitechdevelopments.com).
The fundamental design and electric properties are the same in this capacitor as the capacitors discussed previously.
This particular capacitor was developed by Nissan and is used in a diesel hybrid truck. The capacitor's dimensions are 1105mm x 505mm x 470mm. As you can see this should provide quie a bit of surface area for the charges to build up on and thus induce capacitance. It will be super capacitors like this that will be used to control energy in many more applications.