Safety integrity levels boost ultracaps

Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) is a risk classification scheme defined by a standard called ISO 26262 – Functional Safety for Road Vehicles. The two lowest-level ASIL standards, A and B, require that vehicles store energy using at least two different technologies. That requirement has proven to be a boon for ultracapacitor technology which may be able to serve as one of the storage methods. Says Maxwell Technologies’ Marty Mills, ultracaps now find use in vehicular systems that include cruise control, electronic power steering, and electronic braking. Maxwell is probably best known for supplying beefy ultracaps as visible here on the left, but it recently bought Nesscap which is better known for ultracaps that are medium sized.