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.
The guys over at Jalopnik had a chance to get up close and personal with the Morgan LifeCar hydrogen fuel-cell prototype at the Geneva Motorshow, and boy does it look like an awesome chunk of eco-sport goodness. You can see in the gallery just how close the real deal matches the design sketches.
I always wanted an RC car that didn’t eat batteries like Tom Cruise devours babies there’s no tomorrow. Corgi’s H2Go is fuel-cell powered RC car that just needs water and light—a solar panel powers its hydrogen station, which karate chops water into oxygen and hydrogen. The station tank takes about 2 minutes to refill, and a full charge (which takes seconds) nets you about 10 minutes of zoom zooming. And the design? By Luigi Colani, famous for his work with Ferrari and Alfa Romeo.
I think it actually looks more like something out of The Big O than Batman, though Big O borrows heavily from the former. Either way, it’s pure plastic art. More importantly, they work—some of the hand-built prototypes were a bit twitchy, but most of them were zipping around the track with no problems.
The Skinny: The HydroPak replaces batteries and generators with cartridges that can sit on the shelf for ages, activated with water for 12 hours of power. They’re quiet with zero emissions, and each $US20 dry cartridge cranks out a lot more than any battery can—400 Watts through an AC outlet and two USB ports. The Catch: The device costs $400 and it’s still in beta, although that’s a lot cheaper than other fuel cell products. But it’s a real product, rolling out first next week at CES, and samples will be available in February. [Millennium Cell (pdf)]
It may look unassuming, but this bike by Shanghai Pearl Hydrogen Power Source Technology Co is pretty revolutionary. Behind the seat is a hydrogen fuel cell. So not only do you get a nice little motor to help propel you 24 kph for more than 90 kms when you’re sick of pedaling, but you can also be fully recharged in about a half hour. This beats the hell out of regular electric bikes, which typically clock in at around a 3-hour recharge time. While this bike won’t be much help to you if there aren’t any refuelling stations in your area, if there are one or two you can always just pedal there if you run out of hydrogen. Much easier than if your hydrogen car runs out of fuel. Currently it’s priced at a very steep $US2,600—however, once it hits mass production it should drop to around $US500. [Ecotality]
We first heard about this back in December, when it was just a mere glint in Samsung’s eye. And here it is in its latest incarnation—looking a lot less clunky than it did eight months ago.
The Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 sedan, with a top speed of 320 KPH, is gunning for the fuel cell powered land speed record. [Engadget]
Nothing is worse than having a hot cup of coffee turn into a chilly mug of awful without you realizing it, only to take a shocking sip an hour after you’ve gotten to work and need another caffeine boost. Enter the Fuel Cell Beverage Heater.
It’s a wee device that hangs on the side of your mug, keeping your joe piping hot, just the way you like it. It even has “thermographic ink [that]changes color to indicate when the beverage is hot.” Well, it would, at least, if it wasn’t just a concept design. Damn you, concept designs, getting my hopes up for products that don’t even exist! –Adam Frucci
Yanko Design [via MobileMag]
Ignore that rumor about Microsoft making fuel cell rechargers for the Zune. The company’s just said they’re only ordering these things to give away at events such as CES, CTIA and AVN. What, you didn’t see Microsoft‘s booth at AVN? It was pure debauchery. – Jason Chen
Microsoft Denies it Will Sell Fuel Cells [PC World]
Horizon's Hydrocar, the follow up to their H-Racer fuel cell toy, uses a next generation polymer electrolyte membrace based fuel cell. The tech is characterized by operating at lower temperature and lower pressure, making it a safer tech if it were to be used in full sized cars. That's good, because this little model only turns after it bumps into things. It ships next month for $79.
Check out the Minority Report design and the twin oxygen and hydrogen tanks that fill as the water tank is electrolyzed into gas.
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–Brian Lam
Product Page [via Gizmag]
