Designing auto power systems with ultracapacitors:Over the last decade, advances in materials and construction techniques have transformed ultracapacitors from ‘minor’ backup components to extremely powerful energy storage solutions. Though they store a fraction of the energy of batteries, they can charge and discharge much faster, delivering hundreds of thousands of high-power pulses over their lifetime and easily outlasting the product into which they are designed. Ultracapacitors can be recharged as fast as they can be discharged and they can be stored at any level of charge, even completely discharged, with little effect on component life. Indeed, ultracapacitors have become a viable component for production-intent designs in the power electronics world. Further, many companies, recognizing the technical advantages and high availability of ultracapacitors, are already producing ultracapacitor-based systems.