Fuel-Cell Notebooks Next Year?

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=7076' target='_blank'>http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=7076</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Two US firms have signed a deal which means we may see micro fuel cell systems for notebook computers as early as 2004. MTI Microfuel Cells and Intermec Technologies said they will work together to both develop and market products to power handheld mobile computers and peripherals."</i><br /><br />Note that Intermec is also a producer of WinCE devices, like the <a href="http://home.intermec.com/eprise/main/Intermec/Content/Products/Products_ShowDetail?section=Products&Product=CMPTR6651&Category=CMPTR&Family=CMPTR2">6651 HPC</a>.<br /><br />Here's <a href="http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/03/1/8/16326362.cfm">another article</a> with a bit more technical detail about their plans and details on the fuel cell technology MTI offers. I really hope this gives us improved battery life -- we can all use it.

[szamot]

Now that's cool but, shrink that Earth Simulator to PPC size and then we will have something to celebrate. Yeah baby!

[Jonathon Watkins]

Hey - battery life is still the part of PPC-life that is still stuck in the past. This sounds like it may - at last - give us a decent amount of the old go-juice.

[vincentsiaw]

uh, a fuel cell capable of powering laptops for 24 hour will be very exiting, as long it's cheap enough off course....

[ECOslin]

I just wonder, how long will it take someone to manage to hurt themselves and file a lawsuit.

Does a fuel cell generate heat by combining hydrogen and water? I know that it generates water as a by product.

Edward

[Jonathon Watkins]

No - from memory - it works by 'burning' methanol or other natural gas (i.e. converting it chemically).

OK - forget memory - look here as an example: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,49717,00.html

A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that produces electric power from either hydrogen or alternative fuels such as methanol, propane, butane or natural gas.

So far, most of the fuel cell companies have focused their methanol fuel cell research on hybrids, a combination of batteries and fuel cells as backup; mostly in "sub watt" categories such as mobile phones and lights that fit in a pocket. Smart Fuel Cell's device is the first to not require any standard batteries. It is aimed at power-hungry devices such as notebook computers, camcorders and specific applications for the environmental and the transportation markets.

[ECOslin]

A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that produces electric power from either hydrogen or alternative fuels such as methanol, propane, butane or natural gas.


My laptop just blew up, that's the fourth time this week!

I know fuel cells comprise of two cavities that hold a actant and a reactant, between the two cavities is a microporous conductive filter sandwich, one side being the positive and the other different conductive material as the negative, when the two chemicals come together, some sort of chemical energy is released from their meeting and a third chemical is produced that is vented somehow, often water.

I've just known plenty of technical un-saavy folks(computers aren't my thing, man) that I wouldn't trust with a toner cartridge, much less a flammable one.

Edward

[Jonathon Watkins]

I've just known plenty of technical un-saavy folks(computers aren't my thing, man) that I wouldn't trust with a toner cartridge, much less a flammable one.

8O 8O 8O Fair point. 8O 8O 8O

Although it should not be too differnt to adding methanol to a zip lighter from what I hear. Still....... :onfire::onfire::onfire: :onfire: :onfire: :onfire: :onfire: :onfire: :onfire: :onfire: :onfire: :onfire: :onfire: :onfire: :onfire: