“What if you don’t build a hybrid cell, but a hybrid system?” || Dr. Sebastian Pohlmann, Vice President of Business Development, Skeleton Technologies

Dr. Sebastian Pohlmann was born and raised in Germany and got his PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Münster, but now lives and works in Tallinn, Estonia. He started working at Skeleton Technologies in 2016 in the material development department, and quickly rose within the company while helping Skeleton win innovation grants totaling more than €60 million. Today, he works with major automakers around the world and says one of his biggest motivators is getting to see the products he helps develop actually perform on the road.

In this episode, Sebastian joins our host Derek D for a fascinating technical discussion about his work on electrochemical double-layer capacitors, more commonly known as supercapacitors or ultracapacitors. The conversation covers how the Honda CR-V “Beast” concept project first introduced Sebastian to the commercial and business development side of things, the major weakness of supercapacitors and how Skeleton’s SuperBatteries aim to correct it, why the innovation inherent in the automotive industry fascinates him so much, and more.

Dr. Sebastian Pohlmann | Skeleton Technologies

Episode Highlights:

• Why vehicles as different as delivery vans and VTOL drones could be good SuperBattery use cases
• Developing a “new kind of chemistry” for capacitors
• The reasons why lead-acid batteries are on their way out and new 12-volt options will take over
• Why Sebastian believes different dealerships should take the electric vehicle transition at different speeds - and the geographic factors that matter

“In the end, there’s no silver bullet. You don’t have one energy storage concept that takes it all and you don’t have one drivetrain concept that takes it all.”

— Dr. Sebastian Pohlmann

|| Dealer News Today is a DCG Media production