Toshiba To Show Laptop Fuel Cells at CeBit

war3rd writes "According to The Register, Toshiba has finally been able to build a fuel cell for laptops that they will unveil at CeBit next week. The fuel cells are expected to last approximately 5 hours and are compatible with existing lithium-ion batteries. Form factor remains the only issue. The trick is that they use the water by-product from the cell to dilute the methanol source as it enters the reformer, and are therefore able to store higher concentrations of methanol in the cell. My only concern is how quickly can they get this to market?"

Comments

SHOULD be ethanol

[nweaver]

If you want a fuel cell to be practically usable, you should make it run on 40% Ethanol, 60% water. That way, there is a commonly available fuel (Vodka) which can be easily purchased most everywhere in the US (outside Mormonstan at least).

If you can make the fuel cell deal with more impurities, you could also use Whiskey or Tequila or similar distilled spirits.

Re:SHOULD be ethanol

[cant_get_a_good_nick]

I'm sorry sir, you must be 21 with 3 IDs to purchase fuel for your laptop.

All we need now...

[swordboy]

It'd be nice if the component makers would establish an "open laptop" form factor. We've alreadt got mini-ITX. We just need a chassis/monitor and DC power specification.

but how long will they last?

[Pompatus]

My question is, how long will the battery hold up? I don't mean a single charge, I mean how long will the battery be usuable. Also, it states at the end of the article it will take 2-3 years to get to market. It's amazing that the poster of this story can't even read the article

Re:but how long will they last?

[cribb]

It's amazing that the poster of this story can't even read the article

you're new here, aren't you?

www.h2fc.com

[MjDascombe]

Is the best site for information about Fuel Cells

Mmmmm Methanol.....

[smoondog]

Here is the methanol safety card. I don't see these on airplanes anytime soon. Anyway, remember those old photocopies from the 70's/early 80's that made pages with blue text? They always smelled a bit and came out a little wet. Yup, methonal was the fluid used in them....

-Sean

If I recall correctly...

[edashofy]

The DOT has already approved Methanol in small quantities for uses such as powering fuel-cell powered laptops, see here.

You "recharge" by popping in a new cartridge of methanol, which should be cheap ($3-5 initial starting price, probably down to $0.30 eventually. You don't actually have to plug the laptop in for a few hours to recharge it either, so on that long airline flight you can run the laptop indefinitely with enough little cartridges. I saw a pic of a prototype cartridge once somewhere, it looked about the size of a AA battery.

Re:Well, there goes the neighborhood

[Sitnaltax]

Methanol on an airplane is hardly anything to worry about. It's no more dangerous than ethanol, which of course the airline will happily let you drink as much of as you want as long as you keep paying. It burns, but so does ethanol and paper.

Explosion? Nah. It would be a very difficult task to get so much methanol vapor that an explosion would be much more than alarming pop--the same pop you could get by inflating a barf bag with your breath, twisting off the opening, and POPping it with your fist.

New LAW the CUI

[nlinecomputers]

Coding under the influence.

Honest officer I was just fueling my laptop.