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View Full Version : Horizon Launches Cheap, Pocket-sized, Fuel Cell

Jon Childs
06-23-2010, 08:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.gizmag.com/at-last-an-affordable-portable-pocket-size-fuel-cell/15425/' target='_blank'>http://www.gizmag.com/at-last-an-af...uel-cell/15425/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Today is a day that you will probably tell your grandchildren about - the day they released the first affordable, pocket-sized fuel cell for personal usage. As with flying cars, personal jet packs and a usable voice recognition computer interface, the promise of a safe, affordable, personal power plant was entering the realm of perpetual vaporware. Now it's finally here! Whatsmore, at US$100, the Horizon MiniPak might well prove to be the "disruptive" technology the press release claims it to be. By producing electricity from hydrogen at the point of use and offering effectively unlimited run-time for personal electronics, it will almost certainly be the public's first experience of the coming Hydrogen Economy."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/wpt/auto/1277317158.usr486.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></p><p>The Horizon MiniPak seems like a nice solution if you always need to recharge your devices on the go.&nbsp; It also sounds pretty environmentally friendly, at least from the fuel cell perspective.&nbsp;&nbsp;Given that it converts hydrogen into some "dry, non-toxic and non-pressurized material" it seems like you could charge this up, throw it in your car, and be sure to have some power ready whenever you got stuck.&nbsp; Horizon mentions getting the price down to $30 once mass production starts.&nbsp; At that price and if it holds onto the hydrogen for a long time, I could definitely see myself throwing a couple of these&nbsp;at various spots where I might need to recharge my phone.</p>
Jason Dunn
06-23-2010, 09:15 PM
Seems like an interesting idea, especially if the price is right and there's no significant loss of charge over time.
Hooch Tan
06-24-2010, 12:06 AM
To be honest, I have always preferred rechargeable solutions over one-offs like this. At least until fuel cells and their like become commonly available. Single use solutions always make me feel like they're there only in an emergency so I wouldn't use it unless I absolutely had to.
Jon Childs
06-24-2010, 03:29 AM
To be honest, I have always preferred rechargeable solutions over one-offs like this. At least until fuel cells and their like become commonly available. Single use solutions always make me feel like they're there only in an emergency so I wouldn't use it unless I absolutely had to.

From what I can make out the fuelcell can be recharged around 1000 times. Which I think would make it nice, especially if it kept the hydrogen in tact for long peroids of time.