One day, fuel cells may very well be a cheap source of power for all of our electronics. But that day isn’t here yet, and from the looks of things, isn’t arriving anytime soon. A company called Lilliputian Systems has hooked up with Brookstone to create another fuel cell charger called the Nectar that promises to fully top off a smartphone from 10 to 14 times with a single recyclable cartridge, but at a premium.
If your travels or adventures keep you away from an outlet for long periods of time, a fuel cell charger is actually a decent way to stay powered without having to carry pounds and pounds of backup batteries. The Nectar Pod cartridges only weigh as much as a AA battery, but pack considerably more kick.
Unfortunately though, for anyone not trekking across the Sahara for weeks at a time, the pricing still makes this technology prohibitively expensive.
The Nectar fuel cell charger, which is available for pre-order on Brookstone right now, will set you back $US300. And the non-reusable cartridges are $US10 a pop. So you’re still better off just finding yourself an available outlet.