H2 Oh! The Next Step in Battery Life

Posted by Ian Bandy

Comments
0
Likes
0
Dislikes
0

We've discovered that Millenium Cell have been conducting an interesting little experiment of late. They've been running an IBM ThinkPad on a prototype fuel cell battery. Will puny two hour battery performance, soon be a thing of the past?

The holy grail right now for laptop developers has to be extending the life of our little wonders batteries doesn't it? At best we get about three to four hours from our portable beasts when we are on the road, and with the power hungry nature of the new tech that is crammed into the increasingly smaller notebooks, Lithium Ion seems to be really old hat. So what does the future bring? For my money solar power has to be the way forward, but then you wouldn't have to buy another battery ever, and that would be pure anathema to our consumer driven world.

So the next step looks like it's hydrogen based fuel cells. A new jersey company, Millennium Cell, are working on a prototype, which they are using to run an IBM ThinkPad X40 notebook PC right now. The fuel cell battery uses sodium borohydride stored in a cassette tape sized box, it then pumps the chemicals through and produces hydrogen which in turn moves to the fuel cell and mixes with oxygen and produces electricity, the water produced by the reaction disappears as a vapour.

Clever eh?

So until we all wear solar panels on the back of our caps this looks like the future, expect to see these fuel cells in laptops in about 2 years time.

Most Popular Laptops at Pricegrabber.com

Add your Comment

Verification Code
Verify (type this text in the box below the image)

Newsletter Sign-Up

Most Popular Laptops & Gear

  • 1. Pavilion Dv6-2150us Notebook

    Pavilion Dv6-2150us Notebook

  • 2. Inspiron Mini 10v Netbook - Customizable

    Inspiron Mini 10v Netbook - Cu

  • 3. MacBook Notebook

    MacBook Notebook

  • 1. EOS Rebel XSi Black SLR Digital Camera Kit

    EOS Rebel XSi Black SLR Digita

  • 2. EOS Rebel T1i Black SLR Digital Camera Kit w/...

    EOS Rebel T1i  Black SLR Digit

  • 3. D90 Black SLR Digital Camera Kit

    D90 Black SLR Digital Camera K

  • 1. iPod Touch 8GB Black MP3 Player

    iPod Touch 8GB Black MP3 Playe

  • 2. iPod Touch 64GB Black MP3 Player

    iPod Touch 64GB Black MP3 Play

  • 3. iPod Touch 32GB Black MP3 Player

    iPod Touch 32GB Black MP3 Play

  • 1. UN55B8000 55" LED TV

    UN55B8000 55" LED TV

  • 2. 42LH30 42" LCD TV

    42LH30 42" LCD TV

  • 3. EOS Rebel XSi Black SLR Digital Camera Kit

    EOS Rebel XSi Black SLR Digita

Powered by
PriceGrabber.com

Latest Updates

  • ASUS Eee PC 1000HE

    The Eee PC has a slightly faster Atom processor and a faster FSB compared to the previous models. While this is not enough for anyone to upgrade, it could certainly attract first-time netbook buyers. Read More

  • Dell Vostro A860

    When price and performance must share in compromise, few laptops on the market readily answer the call of duty. When it comes to getting high quality at an affordable price, the Dell Vostro A860... Read More

  • Dell Mini 9

    By now Dell has a full range of netbooks in sizes 9", 10", and oddly a 12" model, of which we’re looking at the smallest 9-incher here. Read More

More Reviews

More Top Lists

  • Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2009

    Yet again, Apple's professional geeks will offer up sessions and hands-on code probing and testing at Moscone West in San Francisco. The dates for 2009 are June 8-12. Read More

  • E3 Expo

    The E3 Expo - also known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo - is the one trade show to visit to get the latest news from the computer and video games industry. Read More

  • CeBIT - Hannover 3-8 March

    Unlike CES, CeBIT is open to the public, so there's no need to be a press or industry affiliate to have a look at this massive trade show, which is the largest in the world. Read More

  • International CES 2009

    Find out all you need to know about the 2009 International CES. It features 2,700 exhibitors, including companies who manufacture products or provide services for the audio, digital imaging, home... Read More

  • Mac World Conference

    Make sure to make a note about the Macworld Expo at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, January 5-9. If you're a Mac user and wish to meet equivalent people in the industry this is the place for you. Read More

More Events

More Apple

More Linux

More Microsoft

Editor's Choice

  • Weird, Extraordinary and Record-Breaking Laptops

    Here are the laptops that break one record or another, be it oldest, ugliest, cheapest or just very out of the ordinary. Read More

  • Top 10 Technologies of 2008

    Laptopical's T.J. Aaron summarizes the breakthroughs in technology of 2008. As we are nearing the end of 2008 - find out what made his Top 10 of the most successful and talked about technologies of... Read More

  • Top 10 Netbooks

    The netbook world has gotten increasingly crowded, and until the massive popularity of the form factor wanes this trend will only increase. Beyond Asus and Acer, major corporations like Dell, HP... Read More

Latest Laptopical.com tweets