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NOTE: Because of the uncertain nature of EEStor's claims, some questions will be given two answers, representing two different points of view, designated "Yin" and "Yang."
Yin, the dark principle, will represent the pessimistic view. Yang, the light principle, will represent the optimistic view. As with the Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang, the two views together present a complete whole. |
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LEGAL DISCLAIMER This website is not affiliated in any way with EEStor, Inc., nor with ZENN Motors. EESU® and EEStor® are registered trademarks of EEStor, Inc.; ZENNergy® is a registered trademark of ZENN Motors. Nothing on this website should be construed as a challenge to the rights and/or trademarks of EEStor, Inc., nor of ZENN Motors. |
FINANCIAL DISCLAIMER This website is for informational purposes only, and nothing here should be regarded as financial advice. The editor of this website has no financial interest in EEStor, Inc., or ZENN Motors. Seriously, if you're looking for investment advice, you're in the wrong place. |
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A. Introduction / GeneralA01. What is EEStor, Inc.? EEStor, Inc. is the name of a small startup company which claims to have developed a revolutionary energy storage device, the EESU®. A02. What is the EESU®? EEStor claims the EESU® (Electrical Energy Storage Unit) is a supercapacitor with the ability to store far more electrical energy in a given space, and at a far lower cost, than is possible with any current technology. Although the EESU® is not yet being sold, EEStor, Inc. claims to be ramping up to mass produce them. A03. What is so special about the EESU®? Theoretically, the EESU® is a "disruptive technology" which will make stored electric power easily available anywhere. Among other uses, it could replace batteries, make electric cars practical and affordable, and make night-time storage of solar power practical and affordable. If it truly is a disruptive technology, it will affect everyday life in ways we cannot yet imagine. A04. What is a supercapacitor? A capacitor, also called an accumulator or (confusingly) condensor, is a device which stores electricity efficiently. It differs from a battery in that it does not generate electricity, but can be charged and discharged very quickly. And unlike a rechargeable battery it can be used over and over without wearing out, thousands or millions of times. A supercapacitor, also known as an ultracapacitor, is simply a capacitor which can store a great deal of electricity. More on capacitors can be found at this Wikipedia article. A05. How would the EESU® be an improvement over existing technology? There are three very important things: Cost: For storing a large amount of electrical power, it is claimed the EESU® will be far less expensive than current batteries or other electrical storage systems. Energy density, which means how much energy can be crammed into a given amount of space. The best currently available energy density in electrical storage is from lithium-ion batteries, such as those used to power laptop computers and the new (in 2008) Tesla Roadster all-electric car. The EESU® is said to have double the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, at 1/10 the weight of conventional lead-acid batteries (such as the one used to start your car). Batteries obsolete: With their small size and ability to hold a charge for months, they would be the ideal "battery" for such devices as cell phones and laptop computers. Rather than requiring regular overnight charging, they would be charged perhaps only once a week or once a month, a recharge which would be accomplished in a few minutes. A06. Is this thing for real? Whether the EESU® will work as claimed remains to be seen. Yin: Professionals working in the capacitor industry say it would be impossible to manufacture a capacitor as good as EEStor, Inc. claims. Some scientists working in the field even claim such energy density is physically impossible. Furthermore, no one has ever publicly reported seeing a working prototype. Yang: Although some claim the technology is impossible, many or most are willing to wait and see what develops. Defense contractor Lockheed-Martin has expressed confidence in EEStor, Inc.'s technology, and is reported to be working closely with them to develop prototypes for military applications. Furthermore, it appears the respected equity firm of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is, or at least was, a major investor in EEStor, Inc. Clearly EEStor® has convinced many their technology has real potential. A07. When will EEStor, Inc. start producing EESUs®? That's the #1 question everyone is asking, and unfortunately there's no clear answer. Since 2006, EEStor has repeatedly estimated a date when production will start, but has delayed that date each time. A news article in late August, 2007 reported that ZENN Motors expected delivery by the end of that year. Currently (December 2008) EEStor seems to be indicating mid-2009 at the earliest. A08. What is the first thing an EESU® will be used for? The first uses may well be military, and classified. But EEStor, Inc. has an exclusive contract with ZENN Motors (ZM), which plans to use it to power a highway-speed automobile as part of their "ZENNergy®" electric drive system, which they also plan to sell to other companies, and to make available to covert existing cars to electric drive. ZM has stated that EEStor is contractually obligated to deliver the first production units to them. You can find more information on this in the ZENN Motors section of this FAQ. A09. Why can't I find EEStor, Inc.'s website? EEStor is publicity-shy, and has no website at this time (August 2008). However, it is said they will have a website up "soon." A10. Where are the best places to find out more about EEStor, Inc.? 1. Wikipedia's EEstor article 2. An EEStor Blog by the anonymous blogger "b," which contains news and commentary on the "story" of EEStor, news articles relating to EEStor, and even interviews with Richard Weir, president and CEO of EEStor, Inc. 3. TheEEStory.com, a forum for discussion of all things pertaining to EEStor and ZENN Motors. This site also contains files relevant to the discussion. B. EEstor, Inc. — the CompanyB01. What kind of company is EEStor, Inc.? EEStor is a small, secretive, privately owned startup company. Because it shuns publicity, little is known about this organization. It appears the company's sole activity is developing the EESU® and a production line for the units. B02. Where is EEStor, Inc. located?
The company's office, plus apparently a sizable laboratory with a pilot manufacturing line, is located in Building #1 of the Discovery Business Park, in Cedar Park, Texas. Cedar Park is about ten miles north-northeast of Austin.
B03. What is the history of the company? EEStor, Inc. was founded on January 1, 2001, by Richard D. Weir, Carl Nelson, and Richard S. Weir, who have backgrounds as senior managers in disk-storage technology at such companies as IBM and Xerox PARC. They previously co-founded disk-storage startup Tulip Memory Systems, where they won 16 U.S. patents, and later a similar company named Titanium X. Neither company was successful. EEStor, Inc. has been granted two patents relating to EESU® technology (as of December 2008), and claims 16 more patents applied for. See also the EEStor Timeline. B04. Who is on EEStor, Inc.'s board of directors? According to a 2006 report, there are (or were at that time) five people on EEStor, Inc.'s board of directors. EEStor press releases have named Richard D. Weir and Morton Topfer as two members of the board. The aforementioned report names Michael Long as a third, although this remains unconfirmed by EEStor. We have found no information on the other two board members. B05. Who is Richard D. Weir? Richard Weir is the president and CEO of EEStor, Inc. A 1999 article by Weir described him thus: "Richard Weir is the co-founder, president and COO of Titanium X Corporation. He has over 30 years of operations and senior management experience in the disk drive and computer industries, including service with IBM, Burroughs, IBIS, XEROX-PARC and Micropolis." This article appeared in Insight: International Disk Drive Equipment and Materials Association, Sep/Oct 1999. (The magazine can be downloaded in .pdf form here.) Titanium X attempted to develop breakthrough disk drive technology, but their approach was overtaken and rendered obsolete by other advances. B06. Who is Morton Topfer? Morton Topfer is a former Vice Chairman of Dell Computer Corporation. His impressive credentials also include Corporate Executive Vice President of Motorola, Inc., and 11 years with RCA Laboratories in various R&D and management positions. It was reported in March 2006 that Mr. Topfer had joined EEStor, apparently as a member of the board of directors. He left the company for an unknown reason, reportedly in May or June of 2007, then later rejoined the board in January 2008. B07. Who is Michael Long? The same unconfirmed report which claims Michael Long is the third member of EEStor's board of directors claims he is "CEO of online real-estate giant Homestore Inc." B08. Who else works for EEStor? Tomas Weir is the Vice President and General Manager of EEstor. He has a Linked In website. B09. Who are EEStor, Inc.'s major partners? Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a venture capital firm, is widely reported to have invested $3 million in EEstor, Inc. in July, 2005. Kleiner Perkins refuses to publicly acknowledge the investment, but it was reported as part of the company's portfolio in Fortune magazine, Nov 26, 2007, p. 88. ZENN Motors has invested $2.75 million in EEStor, Inc., in return for an exclusive license for small and mid-sized cars, and other considerations. For more details, see the ZENN Motors section of this FAQ. Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defense (military) contractor, in January 2008 announced they would work with EEStor to develop EESU® technology for military use. Presumably this would include "wearable power" units — i.e. replacing the heavy batteries which soldiers carry with them in the field — as well as replacing batteries in vehicles and other devices. A LM spokesman said "We're not taking any sort of ownership of EEStor", which has been interpreted to mean they have made no investment in the company. It is unclear whether or not LM has paid any licensing fees or provided any other form of support to EEStor. Light Electric Vehicles Company, or LightEVs, was formed as a partnership for licensed development of small EESUs® to power electric bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, and small three-wheeled cars. Their deal with EEStor, Inc. was announced in a press release in September, 2008. See the LightEVs website for more details. B10. Can I invest in EEStor, Inc.? EEStor, Inc. is a privately held company, so you can't buy stock. The company does not appear to be publicly seeking investors. It has been suggested Morton Topfer has helped (or is helping) EEStor find private investments, but this must be regarded as sheer speculation. B11. How can I contact EEStor? Phone: 512-259-7601 C. The EESU®C01. What does an EESU® look like? No photo of an assembled EESU® unit or any of its components is currently available. The conceptual painting below illustrates Wikipedia's EESU article.
However, we have been unable to trace the origin of this picture, so it may depict another company's capacitor array. The EESU® is a solid-state electronic device, which when charged will hold a dangerous voltage, so it will be entirely enclosed, likely in a metal or plastic box. C02. What is the size and weight of an EESU®? The figures quoted in the original patent were 336 pounds, and 2005 cubic inches (equivalent to a cube 12.6 inches on a side). More recent patents indicate a weight variously quoted at 281.56 and 286.56 pounds for a 52.22 kWh unit, with a volume of 4541 cubic inches. Apparently the cause of decreased weight is substitution of PET (plastic) and aluminum for the original glass and nickel. C03. What is inside an EESU®? As with any supercapacitor, an EESU's® interior will be made of many very thin layers of a conductive material, termed plates, separated by slightly thicker layers of an insulating material, termed dielectric. The plates are all connected to each other with wires, to form a solid-state electronic device. In an EESU®, the plates are made of aluminum and the dielectric is a ceramic made of barium titanate. C04. How does an EESU® work? The capacitor plates inside the EESU® are designed to hold an electric charge. Electricity will be run into the unit from the outside, and used to charge the plates, which are connected in parallel, so they are all charged to the same voltage. The unit is designed to hold a great deal of electricity by being charged to 3500 volts. As with a battery, there is a positive and a negative terminal on the case. And as with a battery, these terminals will be hooked up to provide electrical power. For a more technical / theoretical explanation, see "How Capacitors Work". C05. How much energy will the EESU® hold? EEStor® claims 52 kWh (kilowatt-hours). If used to power a small car, this is enough to run about 300 miles. For household use, this is enough to power the average house for 2.1 days of average electricity use. (The average American home used 24.36 kWh per day in 2000.) C06. How long will it take to charge an EESU®? The EESU® is designed to be charged in as little as five minutes, but this requires industrial-strength electric power. According to ZENN Motors, charging at home might take as little as four hours on a 110-volt circuit, or as little as two hours on a 220-volt circuit. C07. Will any special device be needed to charge an EESU®? Because the EESU® operates over a wide range of voltages, depending on how fully it is charged, it will require some sort of voltage converter to charge and discharge it properly. ZENN Motors claims it will supply a buck-boost converter for this purpose. However, some familiar with electrical engineering have questioned that this is the right device to use, and this point has not been addressed by EEStor®. C08. Will the EESU® be safe? Any device or fuel which contains enough energy to propel a car at highway speed for hours must contain a great deal of energy, and thus can never be completely safe. We suggest it's better to compare an EESU® to gasoline, since they both will power a car, among other uses. An EESU® has far less energy density than gasoline, meaning its energy is much less concentrated. In that respect, it should be safer than gasoline. But under some circumstances, if an EESU® is seriously damaged in an accident, or if immersed in water, it might pose a danger of electrocution. EEStor, Inc. claims to have engineered the EESU® to be safe in case of damage. But only time and experience will prove how successful these safety measures are, and whether or not the EESU® will prove to be significantly less dangerous than gasoline. C09. How long will an EESU® last? The short answer: probably decades, and longer than most people keep their cars. An EESU® is claimed to last for a million charge / discharge cycles, equivalent to charging the unit up and running it down ten times a day for 274 years! Just as importantly, the amount of energy an EESU® can hold does not degrade with use. In other words: Unlike rechargeable batteries, the EESU® will continue to hold a full charge no matter how often it's charged and discharged. However, as with any solid-state electronic device, it's not reasonable to expect it to last forever. — continued next column — |
D. ZENN MotorsD01. What is ZENN Motors? "ZENN" stands for Zero Emission, No Noise. ZENN Motors is a small Canadian manufacturer of low-speed, limited-range cars of the type called "neighborhood electric vehicles" (NEV). D02. What does ZENN Motors currently make?
ZENN Motors' current car, a tiny two-passenger car dubbed the "ZENN," is not powered by an EESU®. It has a range of up to 40 miles (56 km) and does not exceed 25 mph (40 km/h). It cannot legally drive on any highway, but can be licensed to drive on city streets in 35 U.S. states. The car is legally restricted to streets with a speed limit of between 35 and 45 MPH, depending on the state. The ZENN is also legal to operate in the Canadian province of British Columbia, and there are attempts to similarly legalize the ZENN in various other Canadian provinces. More information on the ZENN car can be found at this Wikipedia article Yang: Here's an upbeat article and video about the ZENN from a happy owner. Yin: For such a limited vehicle, it seems rather overpriced at $16,000-21,000 retail, so it's hardly surprising they sell only a very few hundred vehicles per year. And here's Kelly Blue Book's decidedly unfavorable video review. D03. What is EEStor, Inc.'s deal with ZENN Motors? In return for a substantial investment and payments when EEStor reaches certain milestones in progress towards mass producing EESUs®, EEStor, Inc. has granted ZENN exclusive worldwide rights to EESUs® used in all four-wheel cars weighing less than 1400 kg (3086.5 lbs), with the exception of vehicles with extremely powerful motors. This would include all small and medium-sized cars, except for high-performance sports cars, up to about the weight of a 2008 Honda Civic 4-door sedan. Furthermore, ZENN has worldwide exclusive rights for EESUs® used for the conversion of any gas-powered vehicle to electric drive, and non-exclusive rights to EESUs® for vehicles of any kind. D04. What is the exact wording of the license EEStor, Inc. has granted to ZENN Motors? The contract between EEStor and ZENN Motors is not publicly available for examination. And unfortunately, there have been at least three different summaries published, which differ in details in a confusing manner. We offer here the summary from a prospectus issued by Paradigm Capitol, dated September 6, 2006, for Feel Good Cars Corporation, which later became ZENN Motors:
Note: The specification "...a drive system of 100 kW (continuous output) or greater" has caused some confusion. This does not refer to a motor merely capable of generating a maximum of 100 kW (kilowatts), but rather one capable of providing that much power on a constant basis. For example, a generator capable of producing 100 kW continuous output of electricity is actually rated at about 300 kW, which is its maximum output. 300 kW is approximately equal to 400 HP (horsepower). D05. What is the "CityZENN"? "CityZENN" is ZENN Motors' announced name for their planned five-passenger, all-electric highway-capable sedan powered by an EESU®. The company plans to fit an electric drive into a car manufactured by a major automobile manufacturer to be determined at a later date. At its stockholder's meeting on March 28, 2008, ZENN Motors announced "The cityZENN is planned to be a fully certified, highway capable vehicle with top speed of 125 KPH/80 MPH and a range of 400 kilometres/250 miles." However, it was previously announced that this car would be sold beginning in 2007, and at this time (August 2008) it is clear ZENN Motors is still a long way from being ready to produce this car. D06. What is "ZENNerg®"? "ZENNergy® is ZENN Motors' trade name for an electric drive system which is powered by an EESU® and uses an electric motor to propel a car or other vehicle. ZENN Motors plans to sell this drive system to auto manufacturers, comparing this arrangement with Intel providing computer manufacturers with the motherboard computer chip and an "Intel inside" sticker on the computer's case. Similarly, ZENN Motors wants "ZENNergy� inside" to appear on cars made by the big auto manufacturers. If ZENN Motors plans to power the CityZENN with an inboard AC motor, then it seems rather strange that they have only very recently started developing their own AC electric motor. The ZENN, as with most NEVs, originally used a DC motor, altho it has been recently upgraded to AC. Not all highway-capable electric cars will use them, but AC motors appear to offer the simplest way to achieve the wide range of speeds necessary in a highway-capable vehicle, while using electricity efficiently. D07. Where can I find daily stock market quotes for ZENN Motors stock? At this website. E. Doubts about the EESU® and EEStor, Inc.Editor's Note: We believe that insofar as possible, an FAQ should stick to the facts and not engage in speculation. Unfortunately, since EEStor, Inc. is so secretive, there are few facts to go on. This very lack of facts has fueled much speculation. In this section we attempt to address some of the many unanswered questions, but it should be emphasized that nearly all of the following section is pure speculation, and not based on any statements by EEStor, Inc., nor by ZENN Motors or any of EEStor, Inc.'s other partners. So take all of this with several grains of salt.E01. How can the EESU® achieve an energy density hundreds of times greater than current capacitors? Unfortunately there is no clear answer to this question. The technology is a trade secret, and analysis of the patent applications has fueled endless speculation but no consensus regarding how it might work. It may be that it's an entirely new application of nanotechnology. E02. Since many scientists and capacitor industry insiders say the EESU® can't work, how can anyone believe it will? Yin: Perhaps the EESU® cannot work as promised. Many claims for breakthrough technologies are made every year, but most turn out to be either unworkable or too expensive for mass production. Yang: The odds may be against EEStor®, but occasionally a breakthrough technology does come along which confounds both scientists and industry experts. This point is well illustrated by the following quote from an article which appeared on January 4, 1880 in The New York Times:
We suggest the advice to "wait and see" applies equally well to the EESU®. E03. Why is EEStor, Inc. so secretive? Why won't EEStor reveal how the EESU® works? Regarding development of a new technology, "Knowing something is possible is half the battle." This was well illustrated by the Soviet Union's swift development of nuclear weapons following World War II. If and when the EESU® is marketed, EEStor, Inc. will have a monopoly on the technology only for so long as it takes potential competitors to figure out how they did it, and figure out how to make something similar without infringing on EEStor, Inc.'s patent. Even worse, there are countries where the government doesn't care about international patent rights. So cheap knock-offs of the EESU® might start appearing as soon as anyone figures out how to make one. In short, EEStor, Inc. has every reason to keep their trade secrets, and no good reason to reveal them. E04. Why doesn't EEStor, Inc. have a website? If their technology is real, why don't they advertise? If the EESU® works as promised, there will be no need for EEStor, Inc. to do any advertising whatsoever. The demand for EESUs® will far exceed the supply. This is difficult for many or most people to understand, because it's so far outside normal experience, but it's summed up in the saying "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door." For a real-world example, look at the U.S. production of cars and pickups immediately after the end of World War II. The demand was so high that dealers didn't need to advertise. They had a long waiting list, and when a new shipment of cars or pickups came in, they just called up the next few names on that list. E05. Do EEStor, Inc.'s repeated delays indicate their technology doesn't really work? No, this is not a good indicator. Cutting-edge tech often, perhaps usually, has unexpected delays in development. Note both the Bluetooth and the Tesla Roadster had multiple development delays, leading some observers to claim "vaporware" or outright fraud. In both cases, the critics were wrong and the companies in question did eventually start selling what they advertised. E06. Why do some say the patents granted to EEStor, Inc. are worthless? It has been said, by those who appear knowledgeable in the field, that the patents* granted to EEStor, Inc. are so overly exact, in describing the manufacturing process, that the patent protections are too narrow to be of any commercial value. In other words, it is claimed any potential competitor could easily sidestep the patent protections, avoiding infringement by making an insignificant change to the manufacturing process. *Other patents have been applied for, but at present (December 2008) only two have been granted. E07. Why did EEStor get their first two patents, if they are worthless? It has been pointed out that the (apparently) overly narrow patent claims allowed the patent to be approved faster than normal. Therefore, it has been suggested that EEStor, Inc. rushed their first patent through so they could assure investors their technology is patented. However, this fails to explain why the second patent also appears to be overly narrow in scope. Furthermore, it has been pointed out that the patents protect only the process of manufacturing the EESUs®, not the technology of the EESUs®s themselves. This is one of the most inexplicable elements of the "EEStory", and in this case we don't even have a good guess. Is EEStor, Inc. pursuing a rational business strategy with what only appears to be worthless patents? Is there a good reason for why they haven't tried to patent the actual EESU® technology? Can it be true that, as some have suggested, the technology cannot be patented? And if so, why not? Unfortunately, we'll have to wait and see. E08. If EEStor, Inc. is/was having problems raising R&D funds, why don't they ask current investors for more funding? There have been repeated reports of venture capitalists offering to invest in EEStor, Inc. and being refused. It appears that EEStor is being rather particular about the conditions under which it accepts money. Note a Lockheed Martin spokesman said "We're not taking any sort of ownership of EEStor"; and LightEVs' paid EEStor, Inc. only a fee for a license, taking no equity investment — again, no "ownership". It therefore seems likely that the EEStor owners' policy is to ensure they retain control of their own company, by limiting outside investments. This is certainly understandable, as those who invest heavily in a small company may use their investment to seize control. For example, it is reported that Elon Musk was ousted by a major investor from the PayPal company he co-founded. Then Musk reportedly turned around and took over Tesla Motors using the same strategy, ousting co-founder Martin Eberhard. E09. Why doesn't EEStor, Inc. partner with a major auto manufacturer for development of the EESU®? Yin: It has been suggested that EEStor, Inc. isn't teaming up with GM, Toyota, or any other major manufacturer or distributor because their tech doesn't really work, and no legitimate company would waste time or money on it. Yang: It may be that the biggest reason is the potential application for EESUs® in stabilizing the American/Canadian electric power grid. Although EVs (electric vehicles) are the most widely discussed application for the EESU®, it may well be that power companies are an even bigger market. Beyond that, EEStor, Inc. has made it clear they don't want to be a sub-contractor for just one automobile manufacturer; they want to sell EESUs® to everyone. For another take on why EEStor® might not want to partner with GM, Ford, or Chrysler, see the recent movie "Flash of Genius" (2008). E10. Why does Kleiner Perkins refuse to acknowledge any investment? Are they trying to distance themselves from EEstor, Inc.? Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KP) has declined to publicly acknowledge its purported investment from the beginning, so there's been no change. There is a widely quoted report that a KP spokesman referred to an investment in an unnamed energy storage company as KP's "Highest-risk, highest-reward" investment. Part of the same report claims that EEStor, Inc. is the unnamed company referred to, but this has never been verified by KP. It has been speculated that KP doesn't want to acknowledge any investment because it's so high-risk. E11. Is Lockheed Martin talking about its involvement with EEStor, Inc.? Defense (military) applications are often "classified technology". Even where they are not, it seems unlikely that Lockheed Martin (LM) would advertise the capabilities of devices intended for use by American military personnel in active combat zones. Both EEStor® and LM have good reason to keep their technology secret. However, some LM publications have mentioned EEStor and the EESU®. The January 2009 edition of LM's employee newsletter, Lockheed Martin Today, contains an article about the Power Management Team within LM's Missiles and Fire Control business unit. In this article, program manager Mike Wilhem says, regarding EEStor technology, he "believes [it] could be a true game-changing technology in the power management field." This newsletter is no longer online, but is quoted here. Also, one patent for a combination of body armor and wearable power has surfaced from LM which refers to an EESU® as an "alternative" power source. E12. Why isn't GM talking about using the EESU® in their "Volt" hybrid car? Manufacturers are not in the habit of betting the development of a major line of products on unproven technologies. That goes double for auto manufacturers, who must invest a great deal of money in "tooling up" to make a line of cars. Even if and when the EESU® is demonstrated to work as advertised, any major car company would still demand road tests and durability tests before agreeing to design an entire vehicle — or at least the drive train for a vehicle — around such a technology. |
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