Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Fuel cells may power cellphones, laptops

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2003 14:53:04 -0400

Fuel cells may power cellphones, laptops
Tue Jul 8, 7:29 AM ET

Michelle Kessler USA TODAY

Fuel cell technology meant to replace gasoline in cars might first find a
home in laptops and cellphones -- more than doubling battery life.

NEC, Motorola, Toshiba and others are
designing fuel cells to power laptops for five
hours or more -- compared with two or three for
conventional batteries. They also could work for
cellphones and personal digital assistants, or
PDAs.

Several prototypes, including a fuel cell-powered
laptop from NEC, have been recently unveiled.
Early versions of fuel cell tech products could
be sold next year, most likely in Japan, the
companies say. It will be several years before
they are widely available in the USA -- and are
easy to use, experts say.

Battery life often holds tech products back, and
fuel cells could provide a boost. Some screens
on cellphones and PDAs, for example, are
purposely made dim to conserve power.
Scientists have already squeezed about 90% of
the improvements they can from today's
batteries, although they're working on
breakthroughs, says Donald Sadoway, a
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (news -
web sites) engineering professor.

Fuel cells are like tiny engines that generate
power through chemical reactions. If you need
more power, you put in more ''gas'' -- in most
cases, a mixture of methanol, or wood alcohol,
and other chemicals. The methanol will likely be
housed in a replaceable cartridge, much as
printer ink is.

The technology, around for more than a decade,
has yet to take off because it is:

* Expensive. Most fuel cells use platinum and
other pricey materials. A fuel cell powerful enough to run a car costs
$300,000, says Elton Cairns, a University of California, Berkeley,
engineering professor. Automakers say they'll build an affordable fuel
cell-powered car by 2010.

Because a laptop uses much less power, cost is less prohibitive. Start-up
Neah Power Systems says, within several years, laptop fuel cells will
wholesale for about $75 -- same as today's batteries.

* Hard-to-find fuel. Fuel cell companies have a vexing chicken-or-egg
problem. No one wants to sell fuel until there's demand, and there won't be
demand until fuel is widely available. ''You can't just go to the hardware store
and buy (methanol) cartridges,'' says John Goodman, an executive with fuel
cell component maker Entegris.

Companies are working on supply plans. Goodman says someday you'll
buy fuel canisters on the same racks as AA batteries.

* Flammable. Airlines are unlikely to allow passengers to carry methanol
canisters because of fire dangers, researchers say. That would be a big
blow, because laptops are frequently used by business travelers.
Companies developing them say the fuel is no more dangerous than liquor
and perfume. They are working with airlines and government agencies to
overcome concerns.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=711&ncid=711&e=1&u=/usatoday/20030708/tc_usatoday/5304010

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