fuel cell
Gadgets
Toshiba’s Dynario Hybrid Fuel Cell/Li-ion Makes First Run
5:26PM Jason Chen | The Dynario fuel cell charger from Toshiba will launch in Japan on October 29, bringing with it direct methane fuel cell injection that lets you charge two mobile phones simultaneously. More »
Computers
Methanol Fuel Cells to Power Military Laptops
2:00AM Mark Wilson | Under military funding, a Califorinia company named Ultracell has developed a 25W methanol fuel cell system capable of running a rugged laptop for 8 hours at a time. Using 250cc canisters of methanol (about the weight of a can of Coke), the system can convert the methanol to hydrogen and the hydrogen to electricity. More »
Vehicles
Genepax Unveils a Car That Runs on Water and Air
8:10AM Sean Fallon | Running a car on water has been the holy grail for car manufacturers for some time now, but it appears that a Japanese company named Genepax may have pulled ahead of the competition with a prototype vehicle that runs entirely on water and air. Their new “Water Energy System (WES),” generates power by supplying water and air to the fuel and air electrodes using a proprietary technology called the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA). The secret behind MEA is a special material that is capable of breaking down water into hydrogen and oxygen through a chemical reaction. More »
Science
MIT Scientists Increase Fuel Cell Efficiency 50%
9:17PM Gizmodo US Edition | Scientists at MIT have been tackling the efficiency of next-gen power source fuel cells, and have discovered how to significantly improve it. Most current direct-methanol fuel cells use a membrane called Nafion sandwiched between their electrodes, and apparently it’s got a flaw. As well as letting hydrogen nucleii through to drive the power-generating process, it apparently also leaks methanol, lowering the efficiency of the cell. By coating the Nafion with a new material (kept secret for now) the boffins have plugged the leak and have been able to measure up to 50% efficiency increases. What’s this mean for us? Well, longer-lasting fuel cells in our future gizmos of course. [Reghardware] More »
Cameras
Canon Patents Fuel Cells (For Cameras, Of Course)
11:45PM Mark Wilson | A new patent application by Canon reveals that the company is interested in fuel cell technology for their cameras—or at least feel that they’ve developed an idea that no one else should use. Wired aptly compares the technology to inkjet printer cartridges, actually using multiple fuel cells to provide varying levels of current depending on camera function. These fuel cells can work alone or combine to tackle the especially power-hungry functions. But as you can see in diagram A, this news leaves the traditional Canon battery grip seething with anger. [Patent via Gadget Lab] More »
Vehicles
Giz Test Drive: Student-Built Challenge X Fuel-Cell Car in NYC
2:50AM Benny Goldman | GM lugged 17 environmentally friendly cars to New York—fittingly, to Tavern on the Green. The rain-soaked occasion was a display of Challenge X contenders, nearly identical 2005 Chevy Equinoxes modded by teams from schools across the US and Canada to be environmentally friendly, fuel efficient and/or low in emissions. University of Waterloo’s hydrogen powered, zero-emissions, electric SUV earned the most awe from the crowd for its ambitious yet completely safe, student-built fuel-cell power plant. More »
Gadgets
Fuel Cell Vacuum: Eco-Friendly Cleaning That Your Chiropractor Will Love
10:00AM Sean Fallon | Obviously, a fuel cell powered vacuum is not anything we will have in our homes in the near future—but that doesn’t mean designers are not thinking about the possibilities. This BacVac concept trades in the noisy electric motor and annoying cables for eco-friendly, cable-free, fuel cell, dirt-sucking power. Why they chose to sling the device over the user’s shoulder is unclear, but one thing is for certain—if you tend to generate a lot of filth, it won’t be long before you are reduced to some sort of suburban Quasimodo. [Continuum via Trends Now via DVICE] More »
Gadgets
Sony Hybrid Fuel Cell Delivers 14 Hours of Mobile Phone Video, Will Arrive “Soon”
5:00AM Gizmodo US Edition | Sony’s new hybrid fuel cell 1.2 x 2-inch battery prototype has managed to keep the juice flowing to a cellular video broadcast for 14 consecutive hours off of 10mL of methanol. The micro fuel cell system uses methanol as fuel and is complemented with a Li-polymer secondary battery to help it deal with electronic peak loads. And according to the R&D team behind it, it may arrive to your gadgets “soon.” More »
Gadgets
DOT Says Fuel Cells Can Fly; FAA Still Afraid They Might Fry
11:23PM Wilson Rothman | The US DOT has approved transportation of methanol fuel cell cartridges in your baggage and carry-on luggage, according to one fuel-cell maker. If you’re lucky enough to own a fuel-cell system, you’ll definitely be able to fly with it come October, when the ruling goes into effect. But this ruling only allows you to carry the cells, not use them on the plane. I looked into it, and the FAA, a division of the DOT, is still apparently evaluating the fire hazards associated with in-flight operation. More »
Phones
1:59PM Nick Broughall | Forget about Hydrogen cars – they’re too big. You need to start small when it comes to saving the planet. That’s why Samsung’s creation of a mobile phone battery that’s powered by good old H20 is so exciting.
The battery, which Samsung reckons will be in phones by 2010, converts the water to Hydrogen gas and Oxygen (who else is remembering their year 9 chemistry) when the mobile is switched on by reacting with metal inside the fuel cell.
According to Oh Yong-soo, vice president of Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ research centre, this is how it works:
“When the handset is turned on, metal and water in the phone react to
produce hydrogen gas. The gas is then supplied to the
fuel cell where it reacts with oxygen in the air to generate power.”
Hit the jump for a diagram half in Korean illustrating the process.
More »
Samsung Creates Water-Powered Mobile Battery
1:59PM Nick Broughall | Forget about Hydrogen cars – they’re too big. You need to start small when it comes to saving the planet. That’s why Samsung’s creation of a mobile phone battery that’s powered by good old H20 is so exciting.
The battery, which Samsung reckons will be in phones by 2010, converts the water to Hydrogen gas and Oxygen (who else is remembering their year 9 chemistry) when the mobile is switched on by reacting with metal inside the fuel cell.
According to Oh Yong-soo, vice president of Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ research centre, this is how it works:
“When the handset is turned on, metal and water in the phone react to
produce hydrogen gas. The gas is then supplied to the
fuel cell where it reacts with oxygen in the air to generate power.”
Hit the jump for a diagram half in Korean illustrating the process.
More » 
