NOVAC S.R.L.

When a racing car accelerates out of a corner, or when an electric vehicle recovers energy under braking, the instantaneous power demand far exceeds what a traditional battery can safely deliver. Supercapacitors — high-energy capacitors capable of charging and discharging thousands of times faster than batteries — are the technical answer to this challenge. NOVAC, a startup based in Modena, has set out to reinvent them. Novac's distinctive innovation is the pouch format: flexible cells that can be integrated not as an add-on component but as a structural part of the vehicle or device. A body panel, a chassis element, a load-bearing surface — all potentially sites for energy storage, with a net saving in mass and volume compared to traditional solutions. This approach transforms the supercapacitor from an electronic component into an engineering design element. Novac's natural customers are automotive OEMs developing hybrid or fully electric powertrains, motorsport teams seeking performance advantages in acceleration and energy recovery, aerospace companies with peak power needs in extreme conditions, and manufacturers of electrified systems more broadly — from drones to industrial machinery. The business model is B2B, with an approach that prioritises co-design with the customer. Each solution is developed around the specific requirements of the industrial partner, from energy dimensioning to structural integration. This creates deep and defensible relationships but requires longer development cycles than selling standard components. In a sector where electrification has made peak power management a central challenge, and where the mass of storage systems is a critical constraint particularly in aerospace and motorsport, Novac's proposition arrives at a moment of growing demand.