Carbon electrode nanomaterial made by EnerG2.

Talking about the need to improve battery chemistry for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles…. A company called EnerG2 thinks it has the answer to a key piece of the puzzle with its nano-structured materials, engineered from the level of the individual molecule to store energy.

“The high level vision for EnerG2,” says CEO Rick Luebbe in a promotional video, “is to make gasoline obsolete.”

Working with DOE and venture capital funding, the company is gearing up to start production of its electrode-building materials—suitable for use in ultracapacitors—in Albany, Oregon.

Ultracapacitors are gaining traction, as it were, in applications that include transportation. They’re good for squirreling energy away very quickly and releasing it just as quickly—ideal for storing energy captured from braking to give a car or bus or truck a boost coming off the line. Ultracapacitors have the potential to greatly increase the milage of hybrid vehicles.

They’re not so good for storing energy for longer periods, i.e., to replace batteries, because they can’t hold their charge for long. But creating the stuff of ultracapacitors is just the first step for EnerG2; the company also wants to create the materials needed for breakthroughs in battery tech.