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Fuel Cells To Appear In Laptops In 2004
prostoalex writes "The overhyped fuel cells will finally be delivered to the portable computing market. Toshiba and NEC will incorporate fuel cells into the laptops by 2004. Sony, Hitachi and Casio are expected to follow the suit. The tests show a fuel cell lasting 10 hours. With the form-factor of a Bic lighter, it allows the laptop user to carry a few extra cells in the laptop bag all the time. Battery prices are expected to run at about $200."
Airlines have already approved fuel-cell powered laptops on their planes, it is very harmless and such, and airport security is susposed to just keep joe-sixpack from bringing in a gun in his suitcase, they aren't going to check for a small lighter-sized thing in your laptop.
Sig: I stole this sig.
Well, fortunately (or unfortunately, as the case may be), the tobacco industry lobbyists won a battle with the homeland security people: lighters and matches are not banned from airplanes, because big tobacco called their pet politicians and fought the proposed regs. You can take a Bic lighter on a plane in the US.
Depending on fuel source for these new batteries...
Take some nichroming wire less than a few inches (from a crock pot) add little extra wire for connecting to second battery (like a headset for a walkman). Wrap nichroming wire around fuel cell and plug in.
For a better power source, use an electic razor cord and attach to longer nichroming wire, plug into bathroom power.
I am suprized anyone is allowed on a plane, considering how any thing carried on can be a weapon.
It least the planes should start offering a true 110/220 at every seat... with child guards for little ones.
If you would RTFA you would see that the fuel would be somewhere around 24% methanol / 76% water. One of those single serving vodka bottles would make a better weapon.
Humor works best when it contains a grain of truth. Moore's attempts at humor fall flat because he fails to include even a single grain of truth in his diatribes.
Methanol itself is dirt cheap. It's a little more expensive than gasoline, and these fuel cells only use a 24% solution of methanol. 24% is less flammable than the vodka from the drink cart. Article says nothing about refilling, but the potential for profiteering is there by forcing people to buy prefilled fuel canisters just like with inkjets. Of course, the manufacturers will say that they just want to guarantee you the best quality fuel because who knows what impurities are in Brand X methanol mix that'll contaminate your fuel cell.
You can take a BIC lighter, but you cannot take a refillable lighter (not zippo, but the liquid fuel kind)...
I had one confiscated at the airport.... wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't a gift given to my girlfriend from someone in australia.....
Karnal
They also mention that the infrastructure's not there yet to support these cells. I'm guessing that means there are no places that will refill them.
They mention that there is no infrastructure to support fuel cell cars, and they say laptops will be the first products to market that use fuel cells because they don't have the infrastructure hurdle.
Also, they don't talk of refilling them, they say that you will swap out a fuel cartridge. It sounds like the only infrastructure required is some shelf space at Best Buy. From what I understand, they have 2 parts to the battery, the part that converts the fuel to electricity, and a fuel cartridge. The fuel cartridges would have to be pretty cheap, less than a dollar to be feasible. I don't know what the cost of methanol is, but the cheap plastic it would probably come in isnt much, and all the real money is in the converter part. The fuel cells could also be recycled, with a small rebate added when you return the old ones.
Methanol can make you blind. Ethanol is common drinking alcohol.
Historically, the wholesale cost for methanol in the United States over the past 20 years has been about 45 per gallon.
If this machine is using 24% methanol mixed with water, then 1 gallon of this Fuel Cell fuel should cost around 11 cents.
Basically a dime for a gallon, I'm assuming you that should last you a fairly long time. Probably cheaper than the electricity it takes to charge your laptop.
Say 4500 mAh and 7.2v, call it 32 watt-h, and average price of electricity in the US is say $0.08 / kWh. Something like 400 recharges for a penny. Not free, but dwarfed by the cost of the battery itself, which has a finite life (probably about that number of 400 recharges, if your power management system is good.)
Yes you are wrong.
Fuel cells do handle heat well. The type of fuel cell that the laptops will use are PEM fuel cells that operate best between 80-120C.
Fuel cells operate based on chemical reactions which are fastest at high temperatures.
Booooooooooooooooooooommmmmmm!!!!!!
Lithium ion cells are very dangerous - maybe more so. Something to think about.
And please, nobody hit your battery packs with a hammer. Bad things will happen and you could be seriously injured. Seriously. I made a mistake on a circuit board once and had a coin cell go off like a large metal jacketed firecracker.
..don't panic
Granted, there is probably some processing, but even analytical grade lab methanol isn't going to cost you that much more. The biggest part of the price will be the container--and I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing refill-your-own fuel cell kits, like those that now exist for inkjets. Bonus: spilled methanol should evaporate cleanly, unlike printer ink....
~Idarubicin
This one is most promising
AC