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Toshiba Fuel Cells
- Thread starter AmigoMac
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I wish the article told you how you recharge the cell, and how much it would cost to recharge it, or replace it.
It is an interesting possibility, but I agree on the question of recharging. The heat generated could also pose a problem, but I wonder how long one of those could keep a G5 PB running?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3837585.stm
I guess you fill it up like the picture shows. Maybe we'll see the Apple funnel, for easy filling of your fuel cell!
I guess you fill it up like the picture shows. Maybe we'll see the Apple funnel, for easy filling of your fuel cell!
I think we'd see them in an iPod first!
"...is designed to be used in small electronic devices such as MP3 players and wireless headsets."
It's dimensions are 22mm by 56mm by 9.1mm, and it's designed to deliver 20 hours of power output.
click here for the full CNET article
"...is designed to be used in small electronic devices such as MP3 players and wireless headsets."
It's dimensions are 22mm by 56mm by 9.1mm, and it's designed to deliver 20 hours of power output.
click here for the full CNET article
so wait, to charge it you put methanol in it?! This would be great for travel but your accually using a substance to power it, Kind of like a car with gasoline.
It'll be inconvenient in a Powerbook. Imagine carrying a PB and a squirt bottle around with you. All I carry now is my PB.
And this cell would have to be much much larger to power a PB for any period of time, so carrying a large bottle may not be so convenient.
And this cell would have to be much much larger to power a PB for any period of time, so carrying a large bottle may not be so convenient.
Abstract said:
Toshiba plans to produce a notebook version of the fuel cells before this tiny one. This is just the early-adopter stuff. What I mean is that there's really no "methanol infrastructure" at this point. I'm sure the idea is to eventually have little methanol outlets (or something like that) everywhere so you can just plug in and juice up. I'll have to remember to invest in fire extinguisher companies.
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If this technology does become good enough to power laptops, I think cartridges would be better than a squirt bottle.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't fuel cells currently still fairly inefficient methods of utilizing energy when compared to other technologies in use today?
When you inject 3.5ml of methanol into an mp3 player, say an iPod, and you use up its electricity generating abilities, what happens to the waste? Is it just water? Do you empty out the 3.5 ml of waste out? Is the waste toxic if someone were to drink it? Does this make the product unsafe for people under the age of 13 who might decide to drink it?
This may be a stupid question...
...but why would anybody want to put a fuel cell in an iPod or Powerbook when a battery seems so much easier?
PS - aren't car companies trying to make cars with fule cells? We could just hook a diesel engine up to an iPod, that'd make it play nice and loud
Exactly what are fuel cells, from what I thought they were I would never imagine them in anything but cars, boats, etc.
...but why would anybody want to put a fuel cell in an iPod or Powerbook when a battery seems so much easier?
PS - aren't car companies trying to make cars with fule cells? We could just hook a diesel engine up to an iPod, that'd make it play nice and loud
Exactly what are fuel cells, from what I thought they were I would never imagine them in anything but cars, boats, etc.
i think the idea behind fuel cells (which are getting very tiny- definitely intended for consumer electronics, perhaps cell phones) is that although they require a substance, if that were easy enough to get recharges, the tens or hundreds of hours of power you'd get would be far more than a battery. There is a fear that batteries will reach a size limit, beyond which they can't hold any more power per cubic inch. Since electronics require more and more power, that's a real problem.
Advanced fuel cells are being designed to run on biomatter or biowaste, including a recent fuel cell that runs on a drop of human blood (it could power electronics that test the same drop of blood, making batteries unnecessary for blood sugar testers, for instance).
But for the most part, fuel cells won't catch on until batteries start reaching real-world limits.
Advanced fuel cells are being designed to run on biomatter or biowaste, including a recent fuel cell that runs on a drop of human blood (it could power electronics that test the same drop of blood, making batteries unnecessary for blood sugar testers, for instance).
But for the most part, fuel cells won't catch on until batteries start reaching real-world limits.
EricNau said:This may be a stupid question...
...but why would anybody want to put a fuel cell in an iPod or Powerbook when a battery seems so much easier?
PS - aren't car companies trying to make cars with fule cells? We could just hook a diesel engine up to an iPod, that'd make it play nice and loud
Exactly what are fuel cells, from what I thought they were I would never imagine them in anything but cars, boats, etc.
Yeah I agree, what is the point of carrying around a little tube with methanol??? It only gives 20 hours charge..whereas a normal battery gives what 15 hours, but you can just plug it into a electrical socket and voila it gets charged. What happens if you dont have anymore methanol..then u screwed.
Plus with the increasing prices of oil..i am sure that one of those little bottles will cost mucho monies
And besides, who wants to cary around a little tube of methanol, couldn't it turn into a mini bomb? Guess no more iPods on airplanes
EricNau said:And besides, who wants to cary around a little tube of methanol, couldn't it turn into a mini bomb? Guess no more iPods on airplanes
Methanol+Fire= Bomb
Any other battery+Fire= Bomb
EricNau said:This may be a stupid question...
...but why would anybody want to put a fuel cell in an iPod or Powerbook when a battery seems so much easier?
PS - aren't car companies trying to make cars with fule cells? We could just hook a diesel engine up to an iPod, that'd make it play nice and loud
Exactly what are fuel cells, from what I thought they were I would never imagine them in anything but cars, boats, etc.
Batteries are highly toxic, lots of lead, mercury, cadmium, etc. They're also not very efficient or long lasting. And, as has been pointed out, batteries seem to have reached the end of the line when it comes to size/power ration.
I think it'll be a few years before we see widespread adoption but I'm convinced it is the future.