Fuel Cell

Hot-swappable micro Fuel Cell System can run laptop for two days

By Mike Hanlon

March 8, 2006 UltraCell demonstrated its UltraCell XX25 micro fuel cell system at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco today. Powered by a reformed methanol fuel cell technology, the UltraCell XX25 is a pre-production unit designed for the military. Beta testing of the XX25 will begin mid-year, and a commercial version, the UltraCell UC25 could be available by the end of this year. The UltraCell UC25 will run a laptop computer for up to two working days on a single methanol fuel cell cartridge and as these lightweight cartridges are also hot-swappable, the UltraCell systems can run indefinitely without any need for electrical recharging. A brochure for the UltraCell UC25 can be downloaded … Read More

Honda FCX fuel cell vehicle production announced

By Mike Hanlon

January 9, 2006 In his opening remarks at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, Honda president Takeo Fukui noted that the FCX Concept car on the company’s stand was “very close to the next generation fuel cell vehicle we will debut in 3-to-4 years” and that the company would be offering the media “limited driving opportunities with a prototype version of this vehicle” as early as Q3 this year. Clearly, the era of the viable fuel cell vehicle is nearly upon us. Read More

Portable fuel cells hit the market

By Mike Hanlon

December 31, 2005 Jadoo has announced that it will be introducing a line of fuel cell products for prosumers at next week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2006 in Las Vegas. Jadoo has been shipping its fuel cell products to the professional broadcasting market for two years, but the NABII power unit, N-Stor fuel canister and FillPoint refill station will find a variety of new applications, including field-ready laptops, emergency response radios and other equipment used in "off-grid" power situations, as well as professional broadcast cameras. Some of the advantages of the NABII fuel cell technology include a virtually infinite shelf-life compared to batteries, a Hot-Swap capability (so power never goes down like when replacing batteries), and a rapid refill/recharge time with the FillPoint. Read More

Motorola invests in Micro Fuel Cell Power Source for Mobile Products

By Mike Hanlon

Motorola has made a strategic investment in North American micro fuel cell developer Tekion with a view to the inevitable rise of the fuel cell as a power source for mobile products. Tekion is driven by the mission to take mobile devices "off the grid". By integrating advanced battery technology with micro fuel cell technology, Tekion is creating a new "personal power source", known as the Formira Power Pack, that will fit inside mobile products and enable consumers to stay connected for as long as needed. Tekion's technology provides a competitive advantage for portable electronic products in the power range of milliwatts to 50 watts and energy range of 10 to 100 watt-hours. Several products and markets fall within these power and energy levels including: industrial handheld computers, satellite communication devices, notebook PCs, and other mobile products. Read More

Mercedes-Benz F 600 HYGENIUS fuel cell research vehicle

By Mike Hanlon

October 14, 2005 The new F 600 HYGENIUS is the latest in the series of research vehicles from Mercedes-Benz that point the way forwards for the future. Powered by a zero-emission fuel cell drive with an output of 85 kW/115 hp, the compact-class car with a family-friendly design consumes the equivalent of 2.9 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres and has an operating range in excess of 400 kilometres. "This represents a major step towards bringing the fuel cell drive up to full production maturity, a goal that we aim to achieve some time between 2012 and 2015," remarks Dr. Thomas Weber, DaimlerChrysler AG Board Member for Research & Technology and Head of Development at the Mercedes Car Group. "By developing the fuel cell, we are creating a new basis for supplying energy in tomorrow's vehicles which will make a further lasting improvement to their environmental compatibility." In addition to the fuel cell technology, the Mercedes-Benz research vehicle also showcases an operating concept with virtual displays, new-style seats and other pioneering technologies designed to enhance safety and passenger comfort. Read More

Toyota's welcoming Fine-X Fuel Cell Hybrid

By Mike Hanlon

October 25, 2005 Toyota's 39th Tokyo Motor Show was probably the busiest of any manufacturer as the world's number two manufacturer of transport solutions fielded seven concept vehicles at its home motor show event. Apart from the i-swing personal mobility solution (covered in detail here), the most unconventional of the concept cars on show was the Fine-X, a new fuel cell hybrid vehicle. Toyota is touting the Fine-X as a glimpse of the automobile's future, providing the environmental performance of a fuel cell hybrid system and featuring an ease of movement through four-wheel independent drive control and a large, steering angle mechanism. The vehicle aims for a sense of "hospitality" through variable lighting intensity in the interior and through power "Welcome Seats" that move in and out of the car as the gull-wing doors open widely to assist getting in and out of the vehicle. Read More

Fuel Cell Power Pack Design Contest Winner

By Mike Hanlon

September 28, 2005 We've written previously about Medis Technologies and their plans to deliver portable fuel cells to market in the near future. One of the exhibits at the CTIA IT show at the Moscone Centre in San Francisco that opened yesterday was the new fuel cell Power Pack design from Medis that resulted from a national design competition. Medis initiated the design contest to encourage submission of designs for its Power Pack that were "aspirational, cool and sleek" and the winning design from Antonio Russomanno, is slick and you might well find one in your pocket before very long. Read More

LIFECar project promises an efficient high performance fuel cell sports car within three years

By Mike Hanlon

September 23, 2005 A wholly British partnership yesterday unveiled plans to develop the world’s first environmentally clean sports car, powered by a fuel cell which converts hydrogen into electricity. The partnership is made up of legendary British sports car manufacturer, the Morgan Motor Company, QinetiQ, Cranfield and Oxford Universities, BOC and OSCar. The new vehicle, known as LIFECar, will be ultra quiet and its exhaust systems will produce only water vapour. It promises a clean vehicle combined with sound motoring performance and stylish good looks. Read More

Toshiba Methanol Fuel Cell MP3 player

By Mike Hanlon

September 18, 2005 Toshiba’s rapidly developing expertise in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology has been regularly reported in Gizmag over the last year or two, - when the portable power revolution begins, and batteries begin to give way to miniature fuel cells, Toshiba will be one of the significant global contenders. This week the Japanese giant announced that it has developed two prototype direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) units and begun tests to validate their operation with mobile audio players. Each unit integrates the DMFC that Toshiba announced in June 2004 (the world's smallest), bringing its practical use a major step closer. Read More

Purdue University creates new method to drive fuel cells for portable electronics

By Mike Hanlon

September 1, 2005 Engineers at Purdue University have developed a new way of producing hydrogen for fuel cells to automatically recharge batteries in portable electronics, such as notebook computers, and eliminate the need to use a wall outlet. The findings were presented last Sunday (August 28) during the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C., and also will be detailed in a peer-reviewed paper to appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Combustion and Flame. The researchers developed the new method earlier this year and envision a future system in which pellets of hydrogen-releasing material would be contained in disposable credit-card-size cartridges. Once the pellets were used up, a new cartridge would be inserted into devices such as cell phones, personal digital assistants, notebook computers, digital cameras, handheld medical diagnostic devices and defibrillators. Read More

New Portable Methanol Fuel Cell System

By Mike Hanlon

August 24, 2005 UltraCell Corporation has announced a new fuel cell power source for portable electronic devices that has twice the energy density of lithium batteries. UltraCell's reformed methanol fuel cell (RMFC) technology uses a revolutionary micro reformer to generate fuel-cell-ready hydrogen from a highly concentrated methanol solution. This new portable power system has the power density of a hydrogen fuel cell but uses readily available, low cost methanol fuel in a convenient, compact package. Weighing just 40 ounces, the power unit is about the size of a paperback novel. Read More

Fujitsu Triples Charging Capacity of Fuel Cells for Mobile Phones

By Mike Hanlon

Tokyo, July 6, 2005 Fujitsu today announced its co-development with NTT DoCoMo of a prototype high-capacity micro fuel cell and the prototype development of an external recharger for FOMA handsets. For the prototype micro fuel cell device, the concentration of the methanol fuel used was raised from 30%, the concentration used for the companies' previous fuel cells, to a remarkably higher concentration of over 99%. This enables the prototype device to charge up to three FOMA handset batteries with just 18 cc of methanol. Read More

Honda Unveils World’s First “Fuel Cell Family”

By Mike Hanlon

June 30, 2005 American Honda Motor today announced the lease of its FCX, an advanced hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle, to the world’s first individual customers, Jon and Sandy Spallino of Redondo Beach, California. It may seem an inconsequential event to many, but the first fuel cell vehicle getting into provate hands is a big deal, because until now, it's all been trial programs with government organisations. So fill your glasses and let's toast the beginning of hydrogen powered automobiles for the masses. Marking a historic achievement in the evolution of the automobile and the advancement of future transportation technology, the Spallinos become the world’s first fuel cell family, having signed an agreement to lease a 2005 Honda FCX for a period of two years. Read More

IBM and Sanyo Demonstrate Fuel Cell Prototype for ThinkPad Notebooks with 8 hour refill time

By Mike Hanlon

April 29, 2005 IBM and SANYO Electric have demonstrated a prototype micro direct methanol fuel cell system for IBM ThinkPad notebooks. Leveraging SANYO's latest advancements in fuel cells that increase the longevity of notebook batteries, IBM and SANYO jointly developed a basic design of a fuel cell power source. Based on the design, the companies developed a prototype fuel cell system that could supply up to 8 hours of power per cartridge on current and future ThinkPad models. The SANYO system does not require altering the standard ThinkPad notebook design. Read More

Microbial fuel cell promises high yield hydrogen source and wastewater cleaner

By Mike Hanlon

April 29, 2005 The hydrogen economy is looming, and it seems a weekly occurance to see additional announcements of technology adding to the momentum. This week from Penn State University comes the news of an electrically-assisted microbial fuel cell (MFC) that does not require oxygen and uses bacteria to coax four times as much hydrogen directly out of biomass than can be generated typically by fermentation alone. Read More

US Army deploys first Fuel Cell truck

By Mike Hanlon

April 5, 2005 General Motors and the U.S. Army yesterday announced they are partnering to introduce the world's first fuel cell-powered truck into U.S. military service. The U.S. Army took delivery of the crew cab pickup at the GM research facility outside of Rochester, NY, where the vehicle's two fuel cell power modules were made. Marking the occasion was Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was instrumental in securing the funds in the 2005 Department of Defense appropriations on behalf of GM's experimental truck. Read More

Intelligent Energy shows the ENV fuel-cell motorcycle prototype

By Mike Hanlon

March 18, 2005 A British company has released details of what it claims is the world's first purpose-built, fuel-cell motorbike. The Emissions Neutral Vehicle is dubbed ENV, pronounced "en vee" and is the creation of British energy solutions company Intelligent Energy. Powered by a 6kW 48 volt motor and with energy supplied from Intelligent Energy's 1kW hydrogen fuel cell, the ENV is currently capable of 50mph (80kmh) and is still under development - by the time the bike reaches market (no time frame yet), it can be expected it will reach most speed limits and exceed its current range of 100 miles (160 kilometres). The ENV weighs just 80 kilograms, has disc brakes and a belt drive and will face some very tough competition in the fuel cell two-wheel market as it evolves over the next few years. Read More

Fuel cell submarines offer underwater stealth

By Gizmag Team

November 7, 2004 While fuel cell automobiles promise reduced emissions on land, the high seas have long enjoyed a virtual amnesty from air emission regulations. There is no effective way to regulate pollution emmissions from ships, yet the fuel cell has a bright future under the water as the best alternative to nuclear energy. The fuel cell has many advantages for submarines, the most compelling being that of completely silent running. A fuel cell submarine such as the new 212 and 214 from HDW can lurk beneath the waves invisibly for three weeks at a time. Unlike other non-nuclear submarine variants such as gas turbine and diesel engines, fuel cells can also be distributed throughout a ship for increased design flexibility, which in turn reduces shipbuilding costs. The company that makes this new monster also made the world's first wartime submarine, and is now offering retrofits. Read More

Hydrogen transportation boosts portable fuel cells

By Gizmag Team

November 15, 2004 Voller Energy Limited, the world's first developer of fuel cell technology portable generators and battery chargers has announced that the new VE100 v2 portable fuel cell system can use metal hydride canisters which have been approved by the Department of Transportation (DOT) to transport hydrogen for portable applications. Read More

NEC Fuel cell laptop to go on sale this year

By Gizmag Team

October 29, 2004 Japanese electronics company NEC has shown the latest prototype of a laptop with built-in fuel cell, claiming the prototype has 10 hours life, extending the life of the traditional battery powered laptop by up to 50%.

Early versions of the NEC fuel cell laptop have been shown several times over the last two years, but this time the company intends to put a fuel cell laptop on the market in Japan before the end of 2004.

Whatsmore, NEC expects that the efficiency of the fuel cell can be boosted to increase "battery life" to more than 40 hours between refills by 2006. Read More

Medis Technologies To Develop Fuel Cells For Tablet PCs

By Mike Hanlon

Medis Technologies Ltd. has announced that it has received an order from General Dynamics C4 Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, to deliver five prototype fuel cell power packs and associated cartridges as power sources for 10 prototype tablet computers in support of the United States Air Force (USAF) Wearable Computer Power Program.

The aim of the initial project is to demonstrate extended field operation and the potential to reduce reliance on battery operation. The strategic intention is that the program will lead to a follow-on spiral development program with an objective of replacing the current ground air traffic control computers. Read More

Quark fuel-cell roadgoing QUAD

By Mike Hanlon

Peugeot's futuristic prototype two-seater, 4WD Quark was built to showcase the company's fuel cell technology. The Quark has a removable interactive interface, which appears to be a PDA on steroids. The unit serves the same purpose as an ignition key and is used in conjunction with an instrument panel. Positioned in its housing, it provides information concerning the traction system and the fuel cell, speed, SATNAV, etc ... protected by a small transparent and waterproof cover, it allows the vehicle to be started when in place and immobilises it when removed. Far more than just a show floor dummy, the Quark competed successfully at the recent Michelin Bibendum Challenge. Read More

Honda announces fuel cell, hybrid and electric scooters

By Mike Hanlon

Honda Motor Company has announced its intentions to hotly contest the sustainable future of two wheel transport by showing several new prototype model developments surrounding fuel cell, electric and hybrid (petrol/electric) scooters. Building on its success with fuel cell automobile technology, the most significant announcement was a scooter powered by its light, compact fuel cell system, the Honda FC Stack. Read More

MTI demonstrates integrated PDA and Smartphone fuel cells

By Mike Hanlon

A new cord-free rechargeable methanol fuel cell for handheld devices has been demonstrated which is expected become available later this year heralding the arrival of the first viable alternative to batteries for powering handheld devices. inevitable move from battery to fuel cell technology. The company expects that the fuel cell will offer ten times the power from an equivalent sized battery and make a significant impact on the military and commercial portable electronics markets. Read More

LPG-powered Portable fuel cell system is 25% smaller

By Mike Hanlon

Voller Energy, the world’s first developer of fuel cell technology portable generators, has launched an updated version of its VE100. The VE100 v2 is smaller and lighter than the VE100 and delivers more power output. The VE100 v2 will be unveiled at the Fuel Cell Forum in Lucerne, Switzerland on 30 June 2004. Advance orders for the VE100 v2 can be taken immediately. Read More