The present invention provides an electric double layer capacitor which
has electrodes made of an alkali-activated carbon, prepared from a
graphitic material, useful in manufacturing high-capacitance capacitors
and which has an electrolytic solution containing chain carbonate and/or
cyclic carbonate. Even if the electric double layer capacitor is used
under high-temperature and high-voltage conditions, chain carbonate
and/or cyclic carbonate is prevented from being degraded and the amount
of generated gas is slight. The electric double layer capacitor has high
initial performance and energy density and the performance of the
electric double layer capacitor is maintained high. The electrolytic
solution contains a quaternary ammonium salt except for a quaternary
ammonium salt containing a carbon atom being bonded to the quaternary
nitrogen atom and being bonded to other nitrogen atom than the quaternary
nitrogen atom, chain carbonate and/or cyclic carbonate, and a solvent
containing a carboxylic ester which contains five or more carbon atoms
and which has two or more carboxylic ester bonds.