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BBC Tests Pre-Commercial Toshiba Fuel Cell Laptop

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the fill-er-up dept.

nbannerman writes "Fuel cells have been talked about a lot recently, but Toshiba have finally demonstrated a working model. The BBC News website provides some interesting background on fuel cells, but does carrying a warning for the future; 'Toshiba's phase one fuel cell shows how near, but also how far, the version is from being a commercial reality.'"

2 of 138 comments (clear)

  1. Just the thing to use in First Class Seating by SockPuppet_9_5 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Try getting THAT through airport security.

  2. How it works by ylikone · · Score: 4, Informative

    Fuel cells electrochemically convert fuel into electricity, without bothering with the awkward combustion process that dooms regular engines to inefficiency. The fuel that most currently workable fuel cells run on is hydrogen, which is a bit of a pain to store and transport. A device called a "reformer" can be used to convert methanol and water (much easier to store) into carbon dioxide and hydrogen, but reformer-based fuel cells aren't very efficient, and small models for portable electronic devices are less efficient still. "Direct methanol" fuel cells (DMFCs), on the other hand, run from un-reformed methanol. DMFCs are the things most likely to end up in your laptop or mobile phone. Learn more about fuel cells.

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    Meh.