Maxwell Technologies Inc. is an

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developer and manufacturer headquartered in

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. The company focuses on developing and manufacturing

energy storage Energy storage is the capture of energy produced at one time for use at a later time to reduce imbalances between energy demand and energy production. A device that stores energy is generally called an accumulator or battery. Energy comes in ...

and

power delivery Electricity delivery is the process that starts after generation of electricity in the power station, up to the use by the consumer. The main processes in electricity delivery are, by order: * Transmission * Distribution * Retailing See also *Ele ...

products for automotive, heavy transportation, renewable energy, backup power, wireless communications and industrial and consumer electronics applications.

History

The company was founded in 1965 as Maxwell Laboratories Inc. by Raymond C. O'Rourke, Alan Kolb, Bruce Hayworth, and Terrence C. Gooding in

. Maxwell Laboratories was originally a government contractor, providing advanced physics, pulsed power, space effects analysis and other research and development services to the U.S. military and other government agencies. The company began converting its focus to commercial applications for its technologies and products in the early 1990s, and by 2014, generated all of its revenue from commercial sources. In 1996, Maxwell Laboratories, Inc. changed its name to Maxwell Technologies, Inc. Maxwell Energy Products, a division that included the Maxwell High Voltage Capacitor product line, was acquired in March 2000 by

General Atomics General Atomics is an American energy and defense corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, specializing in research and technology development. This includes physics research in support of nuclear fission and nuclear fusion energy. The ...

, eventually merging into General Atomics Electronic Systems, Inc. in 2003. In 2007, Maxwell Technologies won contract from

Astrium Satellites Astrium was an aerospace manufacturer subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) that provided civil and military space systems and services from 2006 to 2013. In 2012, Astrium had a turnover of €5.8 billion and 18 ...

to supply computers for

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’s ‘

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’ Astronomy mission. Maxwell supplied seven Maxwell SCS750 SBCs to process images and data gathered by the satellite's camera. In November 2013, Maxwell Technologies opened a manufacturing facility in

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. In December 2013, Maxwell Technologies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with SK Innovation to develop the next generation of electrical energy storage with Maxwell's

ultracapacitors A supercapacitor (SC), also called an ultracapacitor, is a high-capacity capacitor, with a capacitance value much higher than other capacitors but with lower voltage limits. It bridges the gap between electrolytic capacitors and Rechargeable ba ...

and SK's

lithium-ion batteries A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also se ...

. In April 2016, Maxwell completed the sale of its microelectronics product line to Data Device Corporation. In April 2017, Maxwell Technologies acquired all assets, "core business and operating entities" of Nesscap Energy Inc. for $23.175 million. In February 2019, electric vehicle and clean energy company

Tesla, Inc. Tesla, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles (electric cars and trucks), battery energy storage from home to grid- ...

announced that it planned to

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Maxwell Technologies. The deal closed on May 15, 2019, for . In July 2021, Tesla CEO Elon Musk acknowledged that Tesla had sold Maxwell Technologies to a San Diego-based startup called Ucap Power, which is led by Gordon Schenk, previously the VP of sales for Maxwell.

References

{{Authority control Technology companies of the United States Capacitor manufacturers Technology companies established in 1965 1965 establishments in California Manufacturing companies based in San Diego Tesla, Inc. 2019 mergers and acquisitions 2021 mergers and acquisitions