Old news. It's called regenerative braking, in this case charging a capacitor to run an electric motor for a short time from the recovered energy. It doesn't replace the gas engine, but does make the system a bit more efficient when used in frequent start-stop operation. That means garbage trucks, and... not much else.
An ultracapacitor or
supercapacitor is a cross between a capacitor and a battery. It may charge and discharge faster, have higher cycle life and handle overdischarge better, but the energy density is much lower and voltage variation during discharge is higher. Good for recovering braking energy, but not good for long distance travel (particularly in a truck which values cargo space above all else).
They seem to be saying that they will use ultracapacitors instead of batteries, and get around the range problem by charging them frequently at designated stops. Or not. Perhaps it is a combination of a (small) battery and an ultracapacitor.
But whatever the system, the result is the same. A very narrow use case that won't significantly reduce global warming. To really make an impact they will have to target longer range trucking, and that won't be done with supercapacitors that need to be recharged every few miles.
I see more hype than hope. This company is touting the 'green' credentials of its products when it's really about saving (and making) money. Nothing wrong with that, but the technology itself doesn't offer much hope of significantly reducing global warming. The message is a good one - "Hey, look at that! It's electric and cheaper to own and run too!". Only problem is it doesn't scale. Most electric trucks will need a different solution (batteries or hydrogen).
