Toshiba Demos Methanol Fuel Cell
Oct 1, 2008, 9:50 AM by Eric M. Zeman
At the CEATEC technology conference in Japan, Toshiba is demonstrating a methanol-based fuel cell for mobile phones. This direct methanol fuel cell uses an interaction between the methanol, water and air to generate enough electrical charge to power 6 hours of talk time in a cell phone. A 50 mL cartridge would be able to recharge a mobile phone battery up to 15 times. Toshiba hopes to have the technology in phones beginning next year.
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Comments
Target Market?
Are the recharges going to be so inexpensive as to be cheaper than plugging in to charge? Keep in mind that plugging into a car is essentially free and plugging in at work is payed for by the employer.
The extra talk time is nice, but I don't see it being worth the expense for most. It's usefulness seems to require being away from any other power source for a significant amount of time. Even airplanes are beginning to provide power ports now.
That will depend on the size of the unit, though. If it's small - no larger than a cell phone itself - then I c...
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*Methanol is cheap and easy to produce. In some parts of the world you are more likely to be able to brew your own methanol than plug in to a reliable electrical grid (but they still have cell service, and indeed ...
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The mere convenience of buying a $1.00 (or equiv) cartridge in a vending machine, gas station, or kiosk will beat the hassle of having the charge your phone on the go. It'l...
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What is the point of it?