Laptops powered by Fuel Cell Cartridge
Here are some news about the new plastic-based methanol fuel cartridge that will provide the energy source for laptop computers and other portable electronic devices.
From the original News Release:
Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation Reveals Methanol Fuel Cartridge
VIASPACE Inc. (OTCBB symbol VSPC.OB), a spin-off from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (which is operated by Caltech) that transforms proven space and defense technologies into hardware and software products that solve today’s complex problems, announced today that its subsidiary company Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation (DMFCC) has designed a new plastic-based methanol fuel cartridge. Methanol fuel cartridges provide the energy source for laptop computers and other portable electronic devices that will be powered by direct methanol fuel cells. The announcement was made by Dr. Carl Kukkonen, CEO of VIASPACE and DMFCC.
Fuel cells are expected to gain a substantial market share because they offer longer operating time as compared to current lithium ion batteries and may be instantaneously recharged by simply replacing the disposable fuel cartridge. Direct methanol fuel cells are being developed for these applications by companies such as Toshiba, NEC, Hitachi and Sanyo in Japan, and by Samsung in Korea.
“Low cost fuel cartridges are analogous to disposable alkaline batteries, but a cartridge containing 50 cm³ of methanol can power your laptop for five or more hours compared to 10 minutes if you used an alkaline battery,” stated Dr. Kukkonen. “When your laptop is plugged into the wall, no methanol is used, but when you unplug, you have freedom from the electrical grid.”
DMFCC’s current fuel cartridge, shown below, is designed to be inserted into a laptop computer or similar portable electronic device. Other designs in progress are for applications such as cell phones and PDAs.
