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EESTI ELU reedel, 7. mail 2021 — Friday, May 7, 2021
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Estonian Foundation of Canada creates two new funds Skeleton Technologies’ co-founder and CEO Taavi Madiberk and co-founder and Chairman Oliver Ahlberg. Photo: Arno Mikkor
On the Market: Ultracapacitors that can rearrange the structure of the tech world Vincent Teetsov You may have heard of the Flux Capacitor from the movie Back to the Future. It was the heart of what powered the Doc’s time tra velling DeLorean. But outside of that story, ultracapacitors, also known as supercapacitors or ülikondensaatorid, are very real and very powerful. In September 2020, it was reported across tech media outlets that the Estonian com pany Skeleton Technologies and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany had teamed up to “develop a SuperBattery that charges in 15 seconds.” Skeleton Technologies, foun ded in 2009, is a producer of ultracapacitors. As Baltic News Service and ERR indicated in early November of 2020, the company was the recipient of 41.3 million Euros of equity capital, adding onto the existing investments of organizations that include EIT InnoEnergy, Harju Elekter, and Firstfloor Capital. By all accounts, this is technology that piques interest in the engineering world as much as it does for those who are primarily interested in how it can be applied. In February 2019, Tesla announced their plans to acquire Maxwell Tech nologies, another company that creates ultracapacitors. There are other big league competitors out there. As a matter of clarification, though, what exactly is an ultracapacitor? And why is it so much of a trailblazer? Essentially, it doesn’t operate through chemical reactions like a typical battery does. As Skeleton Technologies has explained, ultracapacitors “store energy in an electric field.” While they otherwise function in a similar way to batteries in that they are charged up and discharged, the way they achieve this is different. For batteries, electricity’s potential is held in a chemical form. A capacitor has negatively and positively charged metal plates that are spaced out, but collectively hold many electrons. Ultracapacitors are even more tightly packed with electrical energy and have the potential to almost instantaneously charge and discharge. Imagine being able to instantly charge your smartphone after a day out and about. Not only is it a time
savings, you would be more likely to use up the full extent of your device’s battery before charging again. Capacitors are durable and long lasting, with one million or more charge cycles in their lifetime. They can also endure in extremes of heat and cold that would be dangerous for batteries. The technology is not perfect, as the ability to discharge quickly can lead to an inadvertent loss of charge when not specifically instigated. Ultra capacitors sometimes hold less charge than a battery, too. But this room for improvement is being addressed by producers across the world. The starting block of Skele ton Technologies’ competitive action is the “curved graphene” technology they have patented. The lower power density of ultracapacitors is countered through “nanostructured carbon” and “a process that uses silicon carbide.” Putting the dream of fast charging phones aside for a moment, the implications on large vehicles is big. When we think of electricity powering vehicles, we tend to think of zippy, svelte joy ride mobiles. Yet, speaking at the opening of one of their assembly lines in Viimsi, CEO and co-founder Taavi Madiberk said “If each new truck manufactured in Europe was equipped with ultracapacitors and a regenera tive braking system, more than two billion litres of fuel would be saved and air pollution would be reduced each year.” A case study led by the company, with a delivery truck, claimed that a Kinetic Energy Recovery System, which ping pongs back and forth the ac celerating and braking energy of the vehicle, “can reduce fuel consumption by up to 32%...” Conversely, a double decker bus using the company’s ultracapa citors “enables a 36% fuel saving compared to a UK based Euro VI diesel bus baseline.” The company has staff in Estonia and Germany, accounting for 50 people and 90 people respectively. Großröhrsdorf in Germany was where the com pany’s production grew in 2017. It’s said that Bitterfeld, about two hours away, is where raw material research and development happens. Both of these towns are in “Silicon Saxony.” From the manufacturing stage to product usage, American
Winners announced… (Continued from page 12)
a translation smooth, more radical changes need to be made to the way things are expressed. Indeed, the title of the second short story, “Rändaja õnn”, varied significantly. Susan Harris communicated how the variation in the way this title was translated made the judging experience fascinating. Variations of the title, of which there were about 18, included “The Hitch hiker’s Spirit” and “Roaming Rapture.” Sandra Kasturi was also amazed by the variations she read through. She maintains that translating Estonian into English, with each language possessing such drastically different roots, sentence structure, and more is “not just translation but interpretation.” The winner of the competition will be published in the Estonian Literary Magazine and receive the chance to go to the translators’ seminar held by the Estonian Literature Centre in June 2022. Second and third place winners are to receive one book of their choosing from Apollo or Rahvaraamat bookstores in Estonia. Translation is a thoroughly creative undertaking, and based on the enthusiasm shown by all in this event, we can expect many sensitively-crafted translations of Estonian literature for readers in English in the years to come.
As a young man in Estonia, Martin Mäeks worked his way up to be assistant locomotive engineer. But the sea called to him, and after retraining at the Estonian Maritime School, he worked in shipping in Estonia, Germany and Sweden. Martin arrived in Canada at age 32 and soon co-founded Aero Machine and Tool Company Ltd in 1954. He believed in the strength of the Estonian community and during his lifetime, gave back in many ways. Through his will, Martin ensured that he could continue to support what was important to him. EFC is grateful to donors like Martin who place their trust – and money – in EFC. Founded in 1974, EFC is a registered charity supporting cultural and heritage initiatives across Canada – and is the community’s trusted financial foundation. Since 2000, EFC has provided more than $6 Million in financial support to programs, events, projects and initiatives across Canada. We take our responsibilities to the community and to our donors seriously. Governed by our Board of Directors, dedi cated professionals who volunteer their considerable expertise and time, we make decisions based on our charitable objects and established policies and regulations. EFC also requires accountability from those receiving support, who must ensure they use funding as agreed. Continuing to have the trust of our donors and the community is critical. The Foundation’s charitable activities are funded solely through your donations and bequests which are gratefully received. EFC continues to h onour the past, remain focussed on the present and set our eyes firmly on the future. Like Martin, Estonians have long valued education – a priority that is reflected in two recent generous donations to the Foundation. EFC is especially grateful to Martin Mäeks and Vilma Blum, two recent donors whose substantial bequests/ donations have allowed EFC to create two new funds. Funds focussed on – and restricted only to – scholarships. Our new flagship EFC Martin & Heljo Mäeks Scholarship will grant generous scholarships to EstonianCanadian students who are able to speak Estonian at a basic level and are registered in second year or above of an undergraduate or college program. The EFC Vilma & Heinrich Blum Scholarship is dedicated to supporting Estonian-Cana dian students pursuing graduate work. EFC has granted over 130 scholarships to assist postsecondary students since 2000. The Foundation believes that scholarships to our young people will support their educational goals while encouraging them to remain connected to our heritage and ensure a vibrant Estonian future. The Estonian Foundation of Canada now offers 3 scholarships to post-secondary students in the Estonian-Canadian community. For details on all EFC Scholarships and to find out how to apply, please visit https://www.estonianfoundation.ca/en/ efc-scholarships PLEASE NOTE: New EFC Scho larship Application Dead line: June 1, 2021 EVA VARANGU, EFC President
Retirement & Nursing Home
distributor Mouser Electronics has formed a partnership with Skeleton Technologies.
Ehatare has an opening for a Receptionist. Please go to the Ehatare web page,
You can be assured that you won’t be zapping yourself back to 1955 or the hoverboarding futuristic vision of 2015, but these devices have the potential to make our use of electronics more efficient and enduring.
under the ‘Contact us/Employment’ or ‘Võta ühendust/Tule Tööle’ tab to view the main functions of the position.
www.ehatare.com
Please forward your resume to Piret Komi at pkomi@ehatare.ca by May 21, 2021.
