Supercapacitors

Supercapacitors are energy storage devices that offer distinct properties when compared to batteries. Supercapacitors have higher power density and lower energy density than batteries. They also have a significantly larger cycle lifetime, in the tens of thousands, which enables them to undergo frequent charge-discharge cycles without degradation. This allows them to perform in applications where batteries are not appropriate. IDTechEx covers supercapacitors in detail in its recent report: "Supercapacitors 2026-2036: Technologies, Applications and Forecasts".

IDTechEx analyst Daniel Parr compares the energy and power density for supercapacitors to other energy storage devices; covers how supercapacitors work; and compares different types of supercapacitors.

The performance of supercapacitors is dominated by design and materials choice. Carbon-based materials for electrodes have dominated in the supercapacitors market for electric double-layer supercapacitors (EDLCs), due to low cost, cycling durability and conductivity, and IDTechEx expects this will continue to be the case in the coming decade.

Join Daniel Parr, Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, on Thursday 25th September 2025 for this deep dive webinar into emerging application spaces for supercapacitors. Choose your preferred time zone - the webinar runs three times during the day.

This new IDTechEx report provides insights into the global supercapacitor market, discussing three broad technology groups and segmented into seven market sectors.

The electric vehicle business will grow rapidly to over $1.5 billion in 2029, with the largest percentage being batteries. However, that percentage will peak with cost reduction and some being replaced by supercapacitors.

IDTechEx Chairman, Dr Peter Harrop, discusses the rise of electric school buses with a focus on China and America

Cities are increasingly crowded: real estate is in short supply. Servicing buses needs to be as infrequent as possible and that means having the simplest powertrain, which is the pure electric vehicle.

IDTechEx attended Imperial College's Composites Centre showcase event on 24th September 2018, which saw the centre open it's doors to a range of commercial, research and government organisations.