The Lab for Electromagnetic and Electronic Systems at MIT has been doing some mega-efficient work with ultracapacitors, which store drastically less energy than a battery but have essentially none of the drawbacks — especially via carbon nanotube arrays.

Automotive experts say the new research is enough to start replacing batteries in hybrid cars, and plug-in vehicles might not be far behind.

From the scientist who thinks ultracapacitors are potential competitors for the pack in his Toyota Prius: ‘I try to contain myself, because it hasn’t been proven yet, but it could be a real paradigm change.

Via Popular Mechanics