Mobile fuel cells edge closer to replacing conventional batteries

by Stevie Smith - Dec 4 2008, 13:00

Here’s a slice of tantalising news for all those notebook owners suffering through the annoying inconvenience of lugging an extra battery pack to help prolong the extremely limited operation time associated with supposedly cutting-edge hardware.

Specifically, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) has now changed previously obstructive regulations regarding the carriage of potentially hazardous materials, which could well lead to the emergence of tiny fuel cells capable of powering all manner of mobile devices for days rather than hours.

Long since thought to be the next step in delivering effective portable power, the advance of fuel cell technology has been repeatedly stymied by the DoT’s regulations, which found fault with the inclusion of flammable and/or corrosive materials such as methanol, butane and formic acid.

According to Sara Bradford, an energy and power systems consultant with Frost & Sullivan, the regulation amendment should now see fuel cell cartridges readily available for use within a couple of years.

The fuel cell technology provides its power by passing a small amount of fuel into a chip, which then results in the creation of electricity without combustion.

"We are closer, much closer, than even two years ago in terms of the companies’ internal designs, how they’ve met their milestones and just the amount of testing and evaluation that’s going on right now," Bradford said in a CBC report.

Marking the technology’s growing industry appeal, Massachusetts-based Lilliputian Systems is already working towards a 2009 launch for a cigarette pack-sized fuel cell that will power any portable device via a USB port.

Based on butane, a mere teaspoon of the cell’s fuel should provide around 20 times more energy than a conventional battery of the same physical size, according to Liliputian Systems vice president of business development Mouli Ramani.

And, in terms of pricing, the fuel cell system is expected to arrive with an initial outlay cost between $100 USD and $150 USD, while refill cartridges will then only cost up to $3.00 USD.

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