---
title: "Tesla Just Bought An “Ultracapacitor” Manufacturer"
description: "Elon Musk's electric car maker Tesla has purchased Maxwell, a battery and ultracapacitor company, in a reported $200 million deal."
date: "2019-02-04"
modified: "2019-02-04"
authors:
  - name: "Jon Christian"
    job_title: "Executive Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ultracapacitor-tesla-maxwell"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
  - "Tesla"
tags:
  - "batteries"
  - "tesla"
  - "the digest"
  - "ultracapacitors"
---

# Tesla Just Bought An “Ultracapacitor” Manufacturer

![Elon Musk's electric car maker Tesla has purchased Maxwell, a battery and ultracapacitor company, in a reported $200 million deal.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tesla-just-bought-an-ultracapacitor-manufacturer.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Tesla\</em\>*

## Power Play

Electric car maker Tesla has [purchased Maxwell](<https://electrek.co/2019/02/04/tesla-acquires-ultracapacitor-battery-manufacturer/>), a company that makes battery components and ultracapacitors, for more than $200 million.

"We are always looking for potential acquisitions that make sense for the business and support Tesla’s mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy," a Tesla spokesperson said in [a statement](<https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/04/tesla-to-but-maxwell-technologies-for-4point75-a-share.html>).

## MK Ultracapacitor

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has a long-term interest in ultracapacitors, which charge more rapidly than most batteries, but don't typically store as much power. Musk's [original plan](<https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/336598500156518400>) at Stanford was to study them for his PhD.

But Tesla's plans for Maxwell remain unclear. Using capacitors to power electric cars has been a [longtime dream](<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/feb/26/energy-storage-supercapacitors-electric-car-batteries-charging-times>) of some researchers, but it's not yet practical with existing technology.

## "Really Exciting"

Fred Lambert, the editor-in-chief of *Electrek* and a close Tesla watcher, was [enthusiastic about the purchase](<https://electrek.co/2019/02/04/tesla-acquires-ultracapacitor-battery-manufacturer/>) — though he speculated that Tesla may be more interested in the company's dry electrode [battery tech](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-battery-catching-fire>) than its ultracapacitors.

"I think this is really exciting," he wrote, adding that if "Tesla is willing to pay $200 million for Maxwell, I have to assume that they verified the claims and they believe the technology is applicable to their batteries."

**READ MORE:** [Tesla Acquires Ultracapacitor and Battery Manufacturer for Over $200 Million](<https://electrek.co/2019/02/04/tesla-acquires-ultracapacitor-battery-manufacturer/>) \[*Ars Technica*\]

***More on Tesla: [Tesla Batteries Are Catching Fire Hours After Car Crashes](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-battery-catching-fire>)***

## Author
I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/jonchristian.net>)