Many here are familiar with a secretive Texas company called EEStor.

The company was founded and is led by Dr. Richard Weir who has patented a specialized ultracapacitor called the EESU. The technology uses a barium titanate powder and is theoretically able to store 52 kwh in a 336 pound package. Also, the technology is less expensive to produce than lithium-ion batteries and has a functionally unlimited lifetime.

If verified and commercialized, the technology has the theoretical potential to leapfrog lithium-ion and rapidly revolutionize the automotive industry.

EEStor has VC funding and partial ownership by ZENN Motors. In a previous interview with ZENN's CEO Ian Clifford he advised us that production-grade EESUs were to be shipped by the end of 2008 ( see post ).

I figured this was reasonable time to see if I could find out the status of that, and fortuitously, despite a policy against interviews, received a response from Richard Weir himself.

His comment:

As we have provided certified information on EEStor, Inc. this information certain indicates the excellent progress that we are making.

As we stated in the beginning of 2008, properly funded EEStor, Inc. would anticipate in being in production status late in 2008.

The funding that we did receive was not sufficient to meet the production status late in 2008 but as identified by our last news release, EEStor, Inc. has made excellent progress with that level of funding.

EEStor, Inc. has secured a contract with Light Electric Vehicles, Inc. and this has allowed EEStor, Inc. to expedite or progress toward a production status.