October 18, 2005 | Back

Micro-Power Fuel Cells for Mobile Devices

Filed under category: Laptops | PDAs | Wireless Phones

Micro-power fuel cells, intended to power portable electronic devices such as cell phones, PDAs and laptop computers, will be the key technical and economic driver for the entire fuel cell market -- including stationary and automotive applications -- said Jim Balcom, president and CEO of PolyFuel.

The reason, said Balcom, is that the great engine that drives rapid technological progress is "true market demand." And of the three key segments of the long-awaited fuel-cell market, portable applications will be ready for liftoff first. Cost and performance of the technology are in line, volume distribution channels are already in place, and a huge, pent-up market demand is developing. Only regulatory issues -- principally the carriage of small fuel cartridges on airplanes -- remain an impediment, one that is widely expected to disappear within the next 18 months.

"According to recent published studies, portable device power demand is increasing three times faster than the rate of battery improvement," stated Balcom. "This gives rise to what we call a 'run-time gap' -- the difference in the demand for energy in devices like PDAs, smartphones, laptops, or MP3 players, and that actually available with contemporary battery technology. By 2010, the demand for energy is forecast to be four times that which is available."

> Source: PolyFuel
> Estimated price: N/A
> Date released/expected: N/A

Posted on October 18, 2005 09:29 AM

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