Electric-only cars might be envogue right now, but Toyota is pursuing another eco-friendly alternative to gasoline engines with its FCV concept. The company is now claiming the vehicle will be available sometime in 2015—at least if you live in California where (hopefully) hydrogen refill stations will be plentiful by then.
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Data centers are some of the most power-hungry pieces of infrastructure that exist today, but Microsoft has plans to make them a little greener—by powering its racks with built-in fuel cells.
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Plugging your phone into the main is for suckers. What you really need is one of a new breed of microbial fuel cells to drive your phone—so you can power it with pee.
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The Iowa Army Ammunition Plant (IAAAP) in Middletown, Iowa has an overabundance of two things: corn waste and excess energetics—leftover explosives, propellants, pyrotechnics and such. But using a new ethanol-based fuel cell developed by nanoMaterials Discovery Corp (nMDC) will transform these waste materials into clean, cheap, electricity. Two birds, one catalytic reaction.
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Fuel-cell-powered vehicles are still a long ways off. But fuel cell-powered toys? That’s an awesome reality that’s about to get even better with Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies new H-Rover, which includes a wireless camera streaming live video to your smartphone/remote. More »
One day fuel cells may very well be a cheap source of power for all of our electronics. But that day isn’t here yet, and from the looks of things, isn’t arriving anytime soon. A company called Lilliputian Systems has hooked up with Brookstone to create another fuel cell charger called the Nectar that promises to fully top off a smartphone from 10 to 14 times with a single recyclable cartridge, but at a premium. More »
Rohm’s hydrogen fuel cells are meant to power smartphones and other mobile devices, but unlike other juicing-up solutions, the cells are only good for one charge. Rohm says disposable fuel cells can be made smaller and lighter than their multi-use counterparts, and as the only byproduct is hydrogen, the company is touting the cells’ eco-friendliness. The system generates electricity by using hydrogen that’s created by the reaction of a metal material and water. While the device we saw here at CEATEC is a prototype, Rohm may offer its recharging system as both a smartphone case and a USB-attachable juicepack. Each offers 5Wh and can fully charge a handset once. There’s also a 200W power generator, which certainly stretches the meaning of portable but can keep a laptop, LCD TV and a peripheral or two going for three to four hours. Rohm says its fuel cells will see a commercial release some time in 2013; for now you can get a sneak peek in our hands-on gallery below.
Gallery: Rohm Hydrogen Fuel Cells hands-on
Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals
Rohm 5Wh hydrogen fuel cells power up smartphones, ready for the trash after one charge originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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