Electric car help will come from Oregon – EnerG2

A device that some say is the key to making electric vehicles less expensive is expected to begin production in Oregon soon.

EnerG2 http://www.energ2.com/ of Seattle says it plans to build a plant in Albany for commercial-scale production of high-performance carbon electrode material for use in “ultracapacitors,” devices that researchers say could make electric-vehicle batteries smaller, cheaper and more powerful.

The massive size of batteries needed to power a car can cause them to overheat and eventually fail. But an ultracapacitor could reduce the heat damage and make the batteries more efficient, possibly reducing the size.

“It’s the rage in terms of the next generation of electric transportation,” said Chris Warner, Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s transportation adviser. “The way I look at it is the first cell phones were the size of bricks. As consumers became used to them, they got smaller and smaller.”

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